A Second Chance
by FifiDoll
Summary: A one-time thing with Rachel leaves Kurt in quite the predicament. He seeks friendship in the only other person that has gone through it and finds more than just a friend in him. Puckurt. Sequel to What He Doesn't Know Won't Hurt Him but can stand alone.
1. Chapter 1

Kurt got home on a Thursday, ready for Easter weekend. He'd heard rumors that Karofsky came out to his parents and was being sent to some special school in Indiana to "fix" it, and was looking forward to returning to McKinley. It wasn't that he didn't like Dalton, but New Directions gave Kurt more opportunities. Blaine was a good singer and all, but even Mr. Schuester put more variety in soloists, and Kurt used to think Mr. Schue NEVER mixed it up.

He walked confidently down the hallway to Principal Figgins's office to register so he could return in the fall. Big, brown eyes caught his and waved. Kurt could have sworn he saw a tear in her eye, but maybe she was just fighting with Finn…again. Kurt had been on the receiving end of one too many emotional phone calls from Finn.

His schedule was set in stone and he stopped in to the end of glee club practice to make his announcement. Almost everyone looked happy. It kind of bothered Kurt that Rachel _didn't_ look happy. When rehearsal was over, she brushed off Finn and approached Kurt. "Hi, Kurt," she said with a shy smile.

"Hey Rachel," he said.

When she didn't keep walking, Kurt raised his eyebrow. "Yes?" he asked slowly.

"I…do you want to go get some dinner? I want to catch up," she said earnestly.

There was something oddly suspicious about her behavior, but Kurt didn't question it. Rachel had reasonable taste in restaurants so he didn't argue. When they ended up at Breadstix, Kurt regretted his acceptance of her offer. They sat awkwardly, sipping at their waters in silence. "Is there something going on with you and Finn?" Kurt asked suddenly.

Rachel looked surprised at his bluntness. "Well…not really, but kind of?" she offered.

Her smile had faded and she looked upset again. "Rachel, you can tell me what's going on," Kurt said.

He'd heard it all from Finn, after all. Rachel took a deep breath before saying softly, "I'm pregnant."

Kurt froze. No, no, no. This wasn't right. They had used a condom. It couldn't have been him. "Finn?" Kurt asked hopefully.

She shook her head. "There were almost three months between when we did and when me and Finn did," she explained.

"How…when is it due?" Kurt stammered.

He was pale, ashen. His eyes were wide and he was in shock. "I'm at 18 weeks, so…"

She was almost half-way through her pregnancy. Kurt was going to be a _father_. It was hard for him to breathe and he desperately drank up his water. Rachel looked sad and terrified. "My official due date is September 26th," she told him softly.

Neither of them ate much when their food was delivered. As they were picking at their salads, Kurt asked, "What are you going to do?"

Rachel shook her head. "I don't know. I want to be a star, you know that," Kurt nodded, and she continued, "As much as I like children, I don't know that I'm ready, even if my dad's said they'd help out."

Kurt nodded. His mind was in a hundred places and he couldn't focus on a single thought. She obviously wasn't going to "take care of it." It had to be too late to do that now. There were only two options: keep it or give it up for adoption. "I just wanted you to know," she said weakly, hoping to break the silence.

He nodded again. He had tuned out everything and tried to focus. "I'm really sorry," she offered before dropping a ten on the table and leaving, tears in her eyes.

Kurt had let Finn drive the Navigator home, opting to ride over to Breadstix with Rachel. When he realized he was stranded, he left more money on the table before leaving as well. Outside in the chilly April air, Kurt dialed a number on his phone.

Puck was surprised to be getting a call from Kurt. He wasn't sure why the kid had opted to call _him_ for a ride home instead of Finn, but something made him go pick him up anyway. Something had to be seriously wrong if _Kurt Hummel_ was asking him for a ride home. Pulling up to Breadstix, Puck noticed him immediately. Kurt was clinging to himself, obviously underdressed for the weather. He got into Puck's truck silently and they sat there for a moment. "What's up?" Puck asked.

Kurt had expected taunting at the very least, but not this. Not a genuine, practically _kind_ question from Puck. "Can we go somewhere to talk?" Kurt asked weakly, avoiding his eyes.

Puck drove them in silence to an empty parking lot halfway between Breadstix and Kurt's house. "You gonna tell me what's up?" Puck pressed, parking the truck under a dim street lamp.

It wasn't that he wanted to know that badly, he was just sick of the silence. "What did you do when you found out Quinn was pregnant?" he asked softly.

Of all the things he had expected to come out of Kurt's mouth, this was _not_ it. He looked at Kurt with a furrowed brow and asked, "What the hell, dude?"

Wet eyes looked up desperately at Puck and he didn't even have to repeat himself. Puck's expression turned to shocked and clueless and he said, "I uh…I don't know. I guess I was shocked. Guilty as hell," he shook his head and admitted, "I felt like shit, dude."

Kurt nodded, turning his face back to his lap. "Who is she?" Puck asked softly.

He wasn't picking on Kurt. He actually _cared_. Kurt thought maybe it was a trick, but he just muttered, "Rachel."

Puck wanted to laugh, but he fought it. It wouldn't help things any, and he was literally the _only_ person Kurt could relate to right now. "She's sure it's not Finn's?" Puck asked hopefully.

Kurt just shook his head. "The timing is all messed up," Kurt explained. "There's like a three month difference or something. I don't know, but even Finn isn't clueless enough to buy that it's his."

Puck just nodded. Well, so much for the passing the blame tactic. "What's she going to do?" he asked.

"She doesn't know. Her dad's said they'd help her but it sounded like she'd rather be a star," Kurt explained sadly.

"Do you want to keep it?"

Kurt hadn't even thought about it. Wasn't it supposed to be just up to the girl? It didn't seem right that someone was asking _his_ opinion on the matter. "I don't know," he said weakly.

"Look, I let Quinn make the decisions. I miss Beth like hell and I wish I had fought for her, Quinn or no Quinn," Puck said seriously. "If you want to keep it, tell Rachel. And tell your parents. Soon."

"Finn will hate me. They all will," Kurt said sadly.

"People make mistakes," Puck said instantly. "My mom was fucking pissed, dude, but she got over it."

"You didn't knock up your step-brother's girlfriend," Kurt shot.

Puck paused for a moment before saying, "No, but I knocked up my best friend's girlfriend, and isn't that just as bad?"

Kurt had no argument. "Start with your dad," Puck offered. "See what he thinks."

"I told him he'd never have to worry about this," Kurt shook his head sadly.

Puck noticed a tear fall down Kurt's cheek in the moonlight. "It is a little surprising, you gotta admit, dude," Puck pointed out.

"Because I'm gay?" Kurt asked.

Puck just nodded, secretly hoping he wasn't offending Kurt but outwardly looking ignorant. "I got curious and she thought it was the best way to get back with Finn," Kurt shrugged. "It's so fucked up."

Kurt shook his head and Puck sat shocked. Kurt _never_ swore. "What do you think I should do?" Kurt asked after a moment.

"All you can do is tell Rachel what you want. You'll always regret it if you don't," Puck shook his head.

Kurt liked Puck in this light. He was more than just a dumb jock with some musical talent. He had depth; he'd seen things and been through things and Kurt liked when he let it show. It made Puck seem a little more real, human, and less like some constantly pissed off badass.

They sat in silence. Puck understood that Kurt needed time to think, and he didn't mind the peace and quiet either. It was always chaotic around his place and sometimes it was just nice to get away. Almost ten minutes passed before Kurt said, "Thanks."

Puck nodded and asked cautiously, "You ready to go home?"

With a deep, heavy sigh, Kurt nodded. They drove in silence and soon they were outside Kurt's house. He looked at the house and let out a shaky breath. "Telling them is the hardest part," Puck confessed.

Kurt gave Puck a sympathetic smile and said, "Thanks for wasting your night for me."

"Dude, I know what you're dealing with," was all Puck could say without sounding like a total girl.

Kurt nodded and opened the door. Just before he shut it, Puck shouted, "Wait!"

Confused, Kurt peeked into the truck. "If you uh…" Puck looked anywhere but at Kurt. "If you need to um…talk or some shit? About this? You can uh…just call me, okay, dude?"

It sounded as though that sentence had been the hardest thing Puck had ever said. "Thanks," Kurt smiled.

Puck just nodded, connecting his eyes to Kurt's for a moment before the smaller boy walked away and slowly entered his home. "Hi, Kurt," Carole smiled, hugging him as he entered.

"Hi," he said with a fake smile.

"Where you been?" Burt asked from the living room.

He and Finn were watching a sports game on TV. "I went to Breadstix with some friends, we got carried away talking," Kurt said halfheartedly before going downstairs to his room dejectedly.

Burt and Carole exchanged curious glances as Finn watched the game, unfazed by Kurt's strange demeanor. Burt stood and went downstairs just in time to find Kurt collapsing into a sobbing heap on his bed. He rushed over quickly, worried. "Kurt?" he asked, sitting on the edge of Kurt's bed.

Kurt gasped and hid his face in his pillow. He thought he was alone. "Kurt, what's going on?" Burt pressed.

He looked ready to kill, assuming Karofsky had struck or something. Kurt sat up, tears still falling from his eyes, and clung to his dad for dear life. Burt looked shocked but couldn't find a thing to say. He just wrapped his strong arms around his son and waited. Raising Kurt, he'd learned that the boy needed a cry before he could ever string together a coherent sentence.

When Kurt's tears began to subside, Burt repeated, "Kurt, what's going on?"

"I messed up, dad," Kurt said, wiping his nose with his sleeve. Yes, he was _that_ upset.

"What happened?" Burt asked quickly, his eyes wild.

A new wave of tears struck but Kurt tried to fight them. "Remember…remember last year?" he sniffled. "When I said you'd never have to worry about me getting…" he hiccupped. "Getting a girl pregnant…?" Burt sat in silence, the words weighing on him and telling him volumes. "I was wrong!" Kurt wailed, the dam breaking and the tears forcing their way through.

Kurt buried his face in Burt's shoulder and not a word was spoken. Tight arms held Kurt close. Burt tried to stay strong, but _damn_ was it hard. He didn't know what to say, what to think. His gay son had gotten a girl pregnant. It was proving difficult to piece it all together, but he didn't press. Softly, he asked, "Who's the girl?"

That seemed to evoke even more tears and Burt wasn't sure what it meant. Kurt stuttered out, "Rachel."

Burt froze and Kurt looked up at him, terrified. "But…Finn…?" Burt trailed off.

Kurt shook his head and said, "They weren't together at the time."

Burt had to move. He had to do something. It was all too much. He walked into the bathroom and returned with a box of tissues for Kurt, who took them thankfully. Burt sighed and sat back down. "Finn's going to hate me," Kurt wailed. "Carole's going to hate me. Oh, god, you're so disappointed, aren't you?"

He buried his face in his hands, avoiding his dad's eyes. "A little bit, yes," Burt nodded. "But these things happen. Did you two uh…use…"

Kurt nodded, saving his dad the embarrassment of asking about condoms. Burt sighed. "Well, this isn't going to be easy on any of us," he admitted. "But I'm going to stand behind you on this, Kurt. We Hummel's gotta stick together. Neither of you meant for this to happen and we just have to deal with it."

For the first time since getting home, Kurt met his father's eyes. Kurt looked so sad and grateful, it just tugged at Burt's heart. "What does she want to do?" Burt asked after a few moments of silence.

Kurt wiped tears from his face and said, "She'd rather become a star."

Burt saw the pain in Kurt's eyes with this statement and asked, "What do _you_ want to do?"

"I don't know," Kurt whispered, shaking his head and letting a few more tears fall.

Strong arms held Kurt in a hug and Burt whispered, "You want to keep it, don't you?"

Kurt nodded into his dad's shoulder, tears falling freely yet again. Burt sighed. Kurt's mom would have known exactly what to say right now, and it killed him that he had no words to offer. "It'll be okay," was all he could say. "It's going to be okay, Kurt."


	2. Chapter 2

Burt and Kurt had a conversation once Kurt's tears could finally subside, and they decided it was best that Rachel be the one to tell Finn. Burt had opted to tell Carole, but nothing more would be said by him. Kurt was terrified, but knew he had to talk to Rachel.

When Burt went up to bed, Kurt dialed her number. She answered with a shaky, "Hello?"

"Hey, we should talk," Kurt said.

Finn was still upstairs, so he didn't bother hiding in the bathroom or something to talk. "You need to tell Finn, soon," he said.

"He's going to break up with me," Rachel replied fearfully.

"Who knows how he'll react," Kurt pointed out. "It happened before you two got back together, and it's not like you want to keep it, right?"

"Yes, but _you_ do."

Kurt didn't say anything. The idea of having a baby terrified him, but didn't want to let it go to some random family instead. That thought scared him more. "Look, Kurt, it's nice that you want to keep it, but don't you think that I should make this decision?" Rachel pressed.

"It's not like I'm going to ask for your help after it's born," Kurt argued.

Rachel hesitated before trying a different tactic, "You've always wanted to be a star, though."

"Other things matter more to me," Kurt said flatly. "Sure, being a star would be nice, but it's not exactly the most attainable goal in the world. I'd much rather take responsibility for myself."

"But it could have a better home with someone else," Rachel pointed out.

"Rachel, I want to keep it," Kurt said firmly.

She didn't say anything for a minute. "Fine, it's not like I wanted to keep it anyway. It's a boy," she said quickly before hanging up the phone.

Kurt froze, lowering his phone at a glacial pace as he thought about what just happened. It was a boy. Rachel had agreed to let him keep the baby. He sat in shock for a few minutes before he heard footsteps on the stairs.

Finn entered and asked hesitantly, "Hey, you okay?"

Kurt nodded and gave him a small smile, "Fine."

With a nod, Finn accepted Kurt's reassurance and went about getting ready for bed. Before setting his phone on the bedside table and falling asleep, Kurt typed up a text message and pressed send.

Puck wasn't entirely sure what he was supposed to think when he got a text around midnight. He also had no idea why he smiled after reading it.

_From: Hummel  
>It's a boy.<em>

On Kurt's last day off, Monday, shit hit the fan. He woke to shouts upstairs and looked over to find Finn's bed empty. Climbing out of bed, Kurt wandered upstairs in his sweatpants and tee shirt, his hair completely disheveled. As he walked up the stairs, he began to recognize the voices. Rachel was there and she had told Finn.

"I can't believe you cheated on me, _again_!" Finn shouted.

"I didn't!" Rachel tearfully protested. "It was before we started dating!"

"Barely!"

Rachel was sobbing, Kurt could hear it down the hall. "Whose is it?" Finn asked, his voice dangerously soft. "Who did you use in your messed up little plan to get back with me?"

"Kurt," she whispered.

It was at that inopportune moment that Kurt showed up in the doorway, in plain eyesight of both Finn and Rachel. Finn looked completely shocked and looked between Rachel and Kurt almost in disgust. "I'm not keeping it," Rachel pleaded. "Please, Finn. We messed up but I never meant for this to happen. I love you!"

His breathing was ragged. "Did you know about this?" he asked Kurt, ignoring Rachel completely.

Kurt was pale and shell-shocked, but he managed a nod. "I told him on Friday," she said weakly.

It was hard to tell whether Finn was going to kick (another) chair or start crying. "Please, Finn," Rachel repeated. "I'm not keeping it."

"I need time to think," he said, walking out the door.

Rachel's tears doubled and Kurt walked forward slowly. He wrapped her up into a hug and she cried weakly into his shoulder.

Puck wasn't surprised that Finn showed up on his doorstep after hearing the news, he just hadn't expected it so soon. He feigned surprise when Finn broke the news to him; he knew Finn would just be more pissed to find out that he already knew. They played video games and conversed a little bit when they weren't on a killing spree. Several hours later, about mid-afternoon, Finn stood and said he should go. Puck just nodded and followed Finn down to the front door. "What do you think I should do?" Finn asked.

Puck shrugged, then offered, "She didn't cheat on you, though, dude, so go easy on her whatever you decide."

Finn seemed surprised at this suggestion but didn't say a word. He just left and walked back home. Carole was just pulling into the drive as he got back and she knew right away what had happened. "Honey, is everything all right?" she asked as they walked inside.

Kurt was watching Lifetime in the living room and Finn ignored him completely. Carole waved before joining Finn in the kitchen. "Rachel's pregnant and it's not mine," Finn said quickly.

Seeing how much this was hurting Finn, Carole couldn't stop a few tears from falling as she hugged him. "This is so messed up, mom," he said into her shoulder, tears of his own falling.

"Honey, it's all going to be okay," Carole reassured him. "Did she cheat on you?"

"No," Finn said. "But…it's Kurt's. This is so wrong. He's gay."

"Shh," Carole tried to calm his tears. "It's going to be okay."

They stood in the kitchen hugging for several moments before Finn went upstairs to his room.

Burt brought Kurt back to Dalton that evening after dinner and Finn was glad to have time away from Kurt. It was hard to look him in the eye. Finn felt like he'd been lied to, over and over again, by Kurt. He said he was gay. He told Finn he liked boys. It didn't make sense.

Summer came much too quickly for Kurt. He was back at home, all of his things moved out of Dalton and back into his basement room. Rachel and Finn had stayed together under the agreement that Rachel wasn't going to keep the baby. Rachel had hastily agreed.

Kurt spent many nights thinking. It had dawned on him that the whole reason Finn didn't want Rachel to keep the baby was so that there was no reminder of what had happened. The whole debacle would be in the past and he could forget it entirely. But then there was the fact that Kurt wanted to keep it. He and Finn lived together with their parents, meaning the baby would be around _all_ the time. More often than if Rachel just kept it.

He spent most of his summer nights dwelling on this dilemma until one night Puck walked into their basement bedroom. The addition was being built upstairs for Finn, but it wasn't quite done yet. "Finn is upstairs with Rachel," Kurt said, not looking away from his magazine.

"I know," Puck shrugged. "I came here to see if you wanted to hang out."

Kurt lowered his magazine, looking confused. "You want to what?"

"Hang out," Puck shrugged. "Dude, you need to stop thinking about this baby thing all the time. It's summer and you should be enjoying it."

"It's not that simple," Kurt sighed.

Puck cocked an eyebrow and asked, "Wanna bet?"

Kurt narrowed his eyes at Puck, suspicious. When his smirk never faded, Kurt gave in and said, "Fine."

"Let's go," Puck nodded towards the door, looking triumphant.

Kurt wasn't sure why exactly he'd accepted Puck's offer. It's not that he was incredibly sexy or anything; he was just wearing a tee shirt and a sweatshirt. Puck always looked better in plaid (which looked atrocious on anyone else) with his shirt tucked in. It was one of his off days clothing wise, so that wasn't what got him. Maybe it was just the sheer surprise of it all? Or that damn smirk. Even Kurt found it hard to resist that smirk, even though most of the time Puck was being a total ass to him when he saw it.

They went upstairs and left without so much as a glance back and Finn and Rachel. It still freaked Kurt out a little to see Rachel's swollen belly. It meant that this whole mess was _real_, and that scared him a little. Puck took them to a little diner off the highway for dinner. "Not Breadstix?" Kurt asked curiously as he got out of the truck.

As they walked inside, Puck shrugged and said, "I figured you wouldn't wanna go back there anytime soon."

Woah, since when was Puck _nice_? Kurt was surprised by his comment, but managed a small thank you before they were seated. Puck ordered the greasiest, cheesiest burger Kurt had ever seen. He had opted for the healthier sounding chicken strips and fries (what kind of restaurant doesn't serve salads!) but watched as Puck devoured the burger. "What?" Puck asked, halfway finished, a little ketchup on the side of his face.

"Can I have a bite?" Kurt asked.

Puck looked caught off guard, and Kurt wasn't exactly sure why he'd asked. The burger was practically dripping in grease. But it looked so delicious he couldn't help it. Puck held the messy burger out to Kurt, who took it slowly. Their fingers grazed lightly and Kurt was surprised at the jolt of electricity it sent through him. Ever so slowly, he lifted the burger to his lips and took a bite. Not just a small, feminine bite, but a bite so big it filled his mouth.

Kurt handed the burger back to Puck, who was watching him curiously. Kurt hadn't even finished chewing before he said, "Oh my god."

Puck raised an eyebrow. When Kurt swallowed the food he smiled and said, "That was delicious! It's going to straight to my thighs, I can feel it, but oh my god."

With a triumphant smirk, Puck returned to his burger. Neither spoke as they ate their food. Kurt finished his food first and was surprised when Puck offered the last bite of his burger to him. Happily, Kurt took it and popped it in his mouth. They didn't really talk much, at least until they were done with dinner.

Puck drove them out to the 7-Eleven and said, "Wait here."

He stood around outside the building for what felt like forever until a rather scary looking guy walked up to him. He couldn't have been older than 25, but his multitude of piercings and vulgar tattoos scared Kurt out of his wits. Puck handed off some money to the guy. Minutes later, the guy returned with a brown bag and handed it off to Puck before disappearing to his own vehicle. Puck returned to his truck looking proud. "What's in there?" Kurt asked.

"You'll see," Puck said before driving off.

They ended up at an old park. "Won't we get in trouble? It's after hours," Kurt argued.

"Come on," Puck insisted, climbing out of the truck with the brown bag.

Kurt followed reluctantly. They went down a hill and through a patch of trees before stopping in a clearing. "Puck, what is going on?" Kurt asked firmly.

"I'm sharing my secrets with you dude, chill out," Puck said defensively. "Nobody knows about this spot but me. Well, and you now. It helps me relax. Cops won't find you and it gives you a little time to think."

Kurt looked around. The smell of trees and murky water and dirt should have disgusted him, but it didn't. "I don't have a blanket or any shit like that to sit on, but uh…" Puck sat down.

Kurt followed suit and looked out at the expansive pond they were seated next to. "Why did you bring me here?" Kurt asked.

"You need to get out of your house," Puck shrugged. "And you need to have a good time before that baby comes," he smirked, pulling a bottle of beer out of the brown bag.

He handed one to Kurt who took it hesitantly. "It's not going to kill you," Puck said as Kurt looked at the beer curiously.

Puck opened his and took a big swig from the bottle. Kurt opened his but didn't take a drink. "So what's Rachel doing about the baby?" Puck asked after a moment.

"She's not going to keep it," Kurt sighed. "It was the only way Finn wouldn't dump her."

"Harsh," Puck shook his head.

Kurt nodded and took a sniff of the beer. It smelled terrible, but something about being out by the pond, in the middle of nowhere at night was doing funny things to his brain. He took a sip. Instantly he made a face. "You get used to it," Puck laughed lightly. "Beer is fucking disgusting but this was cheap and I wanted some booze."

"Are you trying to get me drunk?" Kurt asked.

"Nope," Puck said simply.

Kurt raised an eyebrow but didn't say another word. Puck was almost done with his bottle of beer already. Kurt took another drink, a bigger drink this time, and fought back a face of disgust. "I'm keeping it," Kurt said after a moment.

"Rachel's letting you?" Puck asked, surprised.

He dug out another bottle of beer as Kurt explained, "She said I can if I want to. But there's a major problem with that."

"What?"

Kurt sighed and took another drink before saying, "Finn doesn't want to see the baby or be reminded of this mess at all. That's why he told Rachel not to keep it if she wanted to stay with him. So if I keep it and have it around the house all the time, that kind of defeats the purpose."

"Fuck Finn, man," Puck shook his head. "It's your kid. He shouldn't get in the way of that."

"I'm just scared that if I keep it, Finn will get upset and Finn and Carole will move out and then it will mess up my dad's marriage," Kurt rambled on. "Now that he's happy I can't let anything ruin that."

Kurt took a big drink of beer that time and looked out at the pond sadly. Puck watched Kurt in the moonlight. He knew from experience, knocking up a girl was no fun. It was a mess of drama and everyone around just added to it. "Look, I've known Finn since preschool. His mom wouldn't just up and leave you and your dad," Puck said. He cracked open a third beer. "She'll try to be nice about it, but in the end she's just going to tell Finn to man up and deal with it."

Kurt looked at Puck hopefully. "You think so?"

Puck stared straight ahead and nodded. Kurt ran his finger around the lip of the bottle and looked out at the pond as well. He just thought. Puck's words ran through his brain along with a hundred other things, including the strange feelings the alcohol was giving him. He didn't like it much, but he finished the beer just to be polite. Puck downed the rest, however many that was, and when they finally stood to leave at a quarter to midnight, the mohawked boy could barely stand up. Kurt sighed and held Puck around the waist, trying to keep him upright. Puck's arm fell across Kurt's shoulder as he tried to fight the assistance. It didn't work, though, and Kurt only let go of him once they got to the truck.

Kurt helped Puck up into the passenger seat and took his keys. He climbed into the driver's seat and drove in silence. Puck was asleep, his face pressed against the window, his mouth hung open slightly. Kurt drove them to his place, parking the truck on the street outside. They stumbled into the house, mainly because of Puck. Once downstairs, Puck muttered something about sleep. "Lay down," Kurt whispered, pushing Puck onto his bed.

Kurt looked over at the bed across the room. Finn slept heavily, they wouldn't wake him up. It still worried him, though. "Goodnight," Kurt whispered to Puck.

Just before he passed out, Puck muttered, "'Night, Kurt."


	3. Chapter 3

Finn was more than a little angry to find Puck sleeping in Kurt's bed and Kurt asleep on his chaise. "What the hell?" he asked.

Puck grumbled and rolled over, his hangover evident. Kurt wiped the sleep from his eyes, confused. "What's going on with you two?" Finn raised an eyebrow.

"Shut up, dude," Puck growled.

Finn had a million questions but Puck ignored them all. Kurt retreated to the bathroom and returned with some pills and a paper cup of water. He handed them to Puck as he sat up, wincing. "Thanks," Puck muttered before taking the pills.

"I thought you said you and Kurt were just gonna hang out last night," Finn asked roughly.

Kurt wanted to protest but Puck spoke up, "We did hang out. We ate fatty food and had a few beers. End of story."

"Dude, that's what _we_ always do," Finn said, confused.

"Yeah, well you don't have much time for me now that you never let Rachel out of your sight," Puck rolled his eyes, standing on shaky legs.

Finn didn't reply and Kurt just followed Puck upstairs. "You gonna be okay to drive home?" Kurt asked as Puck reached for the door handle.

He nodded. "Thanks for bringing me back here," Puck said.

He was keeping his eyes on the floor, but Kurt understood. It took a lot of nerve for Puck to thank someone. Kurt just nodded and said, "I guess I'll see you later then."

Puck nodded and left. Kurt went back down to his room where he found Finn on the phone with Rachel. He was talking about all the things they'd do once they "took care" of the baby. Adoption, he was probably alluding to. He _really_ needed to tell Finn.

That evening after dinner, Kurt went into the living room where his dad sat on the sofa with an arm around Carole, channel surfing. "Sorry to interrupt, but can I talk to you guys?" Kurt said softly.

"Sure," Carole smiled happily.

Burt sat up and switched off the TV as Kurt sat on the recliner. "Is this about the baby?" Burt asked gruffly.

Kurt nodded and sat down. "Did I tell you? It's a boy," Kurt said meekly.

Burt looked strangely proud, hearing that he was going to have a grandson. "Congratulations," Carole beamed.

"Look, I know kids are expensive, and I'll get a job if I need to, but then there's the whole issue of driving, and I just…I don't know what to do," Kurt spilled out quickly.

"Tell you what," Burt said in his deal-making voice. "You can work in the garage for me a few days after school and on the weekends when you don't have glee competitions. Then I'll help you get whatever you need to, within reason. You can have your allowance on top of that, but none of those fancy clothes anymore. This baby's gonna need a lot of stuff."

Kurt's breath hitched. No more designer clothes? Sure, they were off of eBay, but still. He sighed and nodded. It would be worth it. He had enough designer pieces to match with cheap pieces, anyway. Nobody would know the difference. "Okay," Kurt said weakly. "I can…I can do that."

"Good," Burt nodded. "We're gonna have to get a crib and stuff soon, too, huh? There's only a few months left until he's here?"

Kurt nodded. "I've been working on a baby blanket," Carole interjected. "A nice quilt for him."

Kurt had never felt so grateful. "Thank you," he smiled.

"We can do this," Burt said confidently. "It'll be no problem."

"Well, there is one thing," Kurt spoke up nervously. "Finn doesn't exactly want the baby around. He told Rachel he'd break up with her if she didn't give him up. I haven't quite told him I'm taking him in."

"He'll be so busy with his senior year he'll get over it right away," Carole reassured him. Kurt still wasn't convinced. "Kurt, it will be fine. Finn will get used to the idea."

"What will I get used to?" he asked stupidly from the doorway.

Kurt stood nervously and crossed his arms. "I'm keeping the baby," Kurt blurted out.

"No you're not," Finn said slowly, confused. "She said she wasn't keeping it."

"She's not," Kurt shook his head. "Just me."

Finn looked angry again. When wasn't he angry these days? "Dude, you can't do that. It's Rachel's decision," he argued.

"Rachel is okay with it."

Nobody moved. Finn was processing the information and Kurt was scared to death. Carole held her breath, hoping Finn would do the right thing. Burt just watched with narrowed eyes. "So it's going to live here?" he asked lamely.

"Yes, _he'll_ be living here," Kurt nodded.

Finn shook his head. "This is not right," he repeated. "You can't."

"Finn, honey, everything will be fine," Carole said from the sofa. "You'll barely notice."

Finn let out an incredulous laugh, "Except the crying and the bottles and the…pooping." He made a face.

"Finn," Carole said firmly.

He shook his head. Then he took a deep breath and asked, "Will the addition be done by then?"

"Should be, yeah, unless she has the baby early," Burt nodded.

"Good," was all Finn could say before heading downstairs.

Kurt sighed and Burt and Carole watched him closely. "I'd say he took that rather well," Kurt smiled optimistically.

"We'll go shopping tomorrow, how does that sound?" Burt asked. "Get some stuff, start moving it downstairs."

With a nod, Kurt accepted this answer. "Thanks," he smiled weakly, "Both of you. It means a lot to me."

"You're welcome," Burt replied gruffly.

"Of course," Carole smiled.

Downstairs, Kurt found Finn shouting with Rachel on the phone. "Finn, leave her alone," Kurt said firmly. "She made her decision and I made mine. You can't be angry at her for that."

"Stay out of this, man!" Finn shouted back.

He turned back to his phone call and Kurt was fuming. Gathering his keys and a jacket for the evening, Kurt stood and left. "I'll be back in a bit, dad," Kurt said, making a determined path to the Navigator.

Burt didn't even have time to respond before Kurt was out the door and driving down the street. When he reached Rachel's house, he was met by her fathers. They gave him a skeptical glance, but he just said, "I really need to talk to her."

They accepted this as reasonable and let him inside. Kurt rushed upstairs where Rachel was in a crying fit, still on the phone. He took the phone from her in one swoop and shouted into the receiver, "Finn, you _need_ to back off on this."

Then he hung up and tossed her phone back to her. She looked up at him in shock, big brown eyes wet with tears. Spotting a box of tissues on her bedside table, he held them out to her. She took one gratefully and blew her nose. For the first time in a while, Kurt had a chance to really look at her. She had put on some weight; that was obvious in her face. Her stomach bulged from the rest of her body, not unlike Quinn's had a year before. "I'm sorry about how he reacted," Kurt said, sitting next to her.

She looked at him sadly and said, "I should have told him sooner."

"Rachel, no," he said firmly. "You are _not_ beating yourself up over this. He's overreacting and you know it."

She sniffled and said, "I just don't want him to break up with me. I love him."

"Maybe…maybe when he sees the baby, he'll chill out?" Kurt offered.

Rachel shrugged and wiped a tear from her face. Kurt pulled her into a hug and she let a few stray tears fall onto his shoulder. Again, he didn't mind. He just let her cry. It was the least he could do, after all. There were a few moments of comfortable silence before she asked weakly, "Do you want to see the baby?"

Kurt looked at her, confused. "I went to this 3D and 4D imaging place in Cleveland. You can see what he looks like really well, even though it's a little gross looking," she explained quickly, walking over to her desk.

She pulled out some sepia tinted photos and held them out to Kurt. He looked at them in amazement. Sure, they were incredibly detailed, so much so that his stomach churned, but it was a breathtaking sight at the same time. "He looks like you," she said with a small smile.

Kurt just nodded. You could see all the details of his face, he had (thankfully) inherited Kurt's nose and his tiny fingers curled up by his lips. "And in this one it looks like he's sucking his thumb," Rachel pointed to the next one.

There were dozens of photos in her folder. Kurt flipped through them wordlessly, words failing him. It was hard for him to believe that the photos he was looking at were what his son would look like. That was a phrase he'd never really thought about…_his son_. He felt like a sap when he noticed that his eyes were filling with tears. "You can take a few photos if you want," she said softly.

"Thank you," he whispered, taking the photos she handed him, which included the one where he was sucking his thumb.

Kurt stared down at the photos in amazement, still in shock. "I don't want to kick you out, but you should probably leave," she frowned. "Finn seemed pretty mad and I don't want you getting in trouble with him."

With a nod, Kurt stood and went downstairs. When they reached the landing of the stairs, Kurt turned back to Rachel. He tried to ignore the scrutinizing looks of her fathers from the next room over. "Rachel, can I be there when he's born?" Kurt asked.

Rachel smiled, tears filling her eyes. "You'll be the first person I call," she nodded.

Overwhelmed, Kurt just hugged her. "I'll see you later, Kurt," she said, opening the door for him.

He nodded and left. Silently, he got into his Navigator and drove away. The next house he pulled up outside of wasn't his own; he wasn't ready to go back there yet. Instead he looked up and saw the light on in Puck's bedroom. It was the only light on in the house; maybe he was alone.

Kurt would never admit it out loud, especially given the whole baby drama, but Kurt was actually a little bit attracted to Puck. He knew Puck was just extending friendship because of the baby, but it meant so much to Kurt it was hard _not_ to be a little bit attracted to him. Taking a deep breath, Kurt got out of his car and walked up to the front door. It took a moment for him to resolve to ring the doorbell. He stood nervously, waiting for the sound of footsteps, hoping to a god he didn't believe in that it was Puck that was home. To his relief, that was exactly who opened the door. "Hey," Kurt said breathlessly.

"Hi," Puck said.

Neither knew what to say next, and it made Kurt feel like a complete idiot. "Can I come in?" Kurt asked.

Puck nodded and let him in. "Feeling better?"

"Yeah," Puck said, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"I uh…I'm sorry, I just…I can't go home yet," Kurt shrugged.

"What did Finn do this time?" Puck asked, realizing instantly who was the problem.

Kurt laughed as he followed Puck upstairs. "He's not too happy that Rachel's letting me keep the baby," he explained. "I told him today."

"Yeah, well he's being a selfish douche right now," Puck shot. "Seriously. He needs to get over it. At least nobody cheated on him this time."

Kurt nodded. When they got to Puck's room, Kurt had a look around. He had never been in it before, and it looked like the average teenage boy's room. Clothes strewn about the floor, an xbox that looked like it was constantly being used, an unmade bed, and half torn down superhero posters reminding him of his childhood. The lighting seemed kind of dim, and Kurt wondered if that was by design. This was Lima's "sex shark" he was talking about, after all. "So uh…what's that?" Puck pointed to Kurt's hand.

He was still clutching the sonograms Rachel had given him. Kurt held them up nervously. "Dude, these are kind of gross," Puck admitted, making a face as he looked at them.

"She got this special 3D and 4D thing done. It's super detailed," Kurt explained.

"No kidding," Puck nodded, looking through the photos.

He sat down on the end of his bed, looking at them in great detail. Kurt sat next to him and watched, surprised at how much Puck was interested in them. "He looks like you," Puck said, breaking the silence.

"Yeah," Kurt said, a little pride in his voice.

Kurt just watched as Puck rifled through the photos, looking at each for a long time. Longer than Kurt expected, at least. "You know, Quinn never let me see any sonograms of Beth. The only time I ever saw her was when she was born," Puck told Kurt.

"I'm sorry," Kurt said sadly.

He couldn't imagine barely remembering what his own child looked like. "I only have the one picture of her, and I don't even think I was supposed to take it," Puck admitted. He pulled out his cell phone and showed Kurt a dimly lit photo of Quinn holding her. It was hard to see the baby's face through the shadows and darkness. "It's not even that good of a picture, but that's her. I didn't even get to hold her."

Kurt sighed. "I can't imagine," he admitted.

"It sucks," Puck said, looking up and sighing.

He handed the sonograms back to Kurt and put his phone away. "Wanna play some xbox?" Puck asked, raising his eyebrow.

He was gone. The sensitive Puck that only Kurt got to see had retreated. Kurt liked when Puck was honest with him and talked about Beth. It was a rare occurrence, though, and Kurt wasn't surprised at the xbox offer at all. "I should get home," Kurt admitted. "Dad, Carole, and I are going baby shopping tomorrow."

"Shopping, I bet you'll love that," Puck rolled his eyes.

Kurt just shrugged. "I don't know. It makes it all real," he told Puck. "Not that I'm not happy to take him in, but I'm scared at the same time."

"You'll be fine, dude," Puck told him. "Way better than I ever would have been."

"Don't say that," Kurt said instantly. "When you want to, you can show you care. I know you would have done well with Beth."

Puck didn't say anything, just watched Kurt with a hard look. Kurt gave him a weak smile before leaving.

When he got home he found a dark house, the only light coming from the TV in the basement where Finn was playing Halo Reach. Finn's eyes caught on the sonograms that Kurt set on his desk. "I saw those before you did, you know," he bragged.

"That's nice," Kurt said simply.

He knew Finn was just trying to get under his skin, but it wouldn't work. Finn seemed put out by the lack of emotion coming from his step-brother; he started hitting the keys on his xbox controller a little harder. Kurt climbed into bed, preparing himself for a day full of shopping and later, a battle with Finn. They were going to put some of the baby stuff up before Finn moved upstairs, and he _knew_ it wouldn't go over well.


	4. Chapter 4

The baby shopping was fun, Kurt had to admit. He felt a little guilty when it came time to move everything inside, though. The crib, the changing table, some little outfits, a package of diapers, the bottles…everything. Finn glared at Kurt when Burt asked if he would help bring things in, but he did as he was asked. Boxes downstairs, Burt set to work building the crib. Kurt was surprised at how excited his dad seemed about the whole baby thing.

Finn got even more pissed when things were rearranged downstairs to accommodate for the new furniture. It was ridiculous. There were still like, two months until Rachel had the baby. They could have waited until the addition was done. Hell, they could have been working on the addition instead of shopping for all this stuff. Finn sulked the rest of the day.

After the baby shopping, Finn spent most of his days out of the house. He took Rachel to a local pool once, but the looks she got from the mothers and other teens made her upset and they haven't gone since. They would wander the mall or watch movies, but it got tiring. Rachel hated all the looks she got for her large belly; it was different than the looks she got in school for being in glee club. These were _worse_. They made her feel cheap, trashy, and like she wasn't a good person. Everyone was so condescending and it hurt.

August came and went (and Finn _finally_ got to move upstairs) and the first day of school was the worst. Karofsky might have been gone, but somehow the slushie facials for Rachel doubled. One of the guys said something about slushying for two since she was pregnant. She walked around in a raincoat all the time and kept several changes of clothes in her locker. As much as the football guys in glee tried, they just couldn't protect her from all the slushie attacks.

It was getting to be too much for her. She'd cry herself to sleep at night almost every night. Kurt was glad to be back at McKinley, but now he was just getting anxious to have the baby around. It seemed like time had slowed down now that it was September.

One morning Kurt was downstairs finishing his skin care routine, getting ready for school. His phone started ringing – it was Rachel. "Hello?" Kurt asked, answering his phone quickly.

"Kurt can you come get me? My dads are at work and I need to go to the hospital," she panted, panic in her voice.

Kurt's eyes grew wide and he nodded. "Kurt?" Rachel asked desperately.

"Yeah, I'll be right there," he said.

Without waiting for a reply, he hung up, tucked his phone in his pocket, and rushed upstairs. "Dude, I need a ride to school," Finn said lamely as Kurt rushed out the door.

"Rachel's having the baby! I have to go!" Kurt called, running out to the Navigator.

Finn looked hurt that Rachel hadn't called him, and even more so now that he had no way to school. He pulled out his cell phone and called the only person he could think of. "Dude, it's early," Puck grumbled.

"You're not up for school yet?" Finn asked lamely.

"You know I get up like ten minutes before school starts," he sighed. "Why the hell are you calling me?"

"I need a ride to school."

Puck didn't say anything for a minute then he asked, "Can't you just ride with Kurt?"

Finn tried to ignore the fact that Puck was now referring to Kurt by his first name. "He's bringing Rachel to the hospital," he explained.

"Shit, dude, are you sure we should just let them go alone?" Puck asked. He sounded more awake now.

"You think we should go too?" Finn asked.

"Yeah, I'll be right there."

Puck hung up and rushed out to his truck. He'd planned on warning Kurt that it wasn't going to pretty or anything like in the movies; shit was going to be _real_ and watching Rachel have that baby would be one of the scariest moments of his life. Because like, giving him warning was the least he could do, right? The poor guy would probably pass out (you know, since he's not as much of a badass as Puck).

Finn watched out the window and waited for Puck to drive up in his beat up truck. When he did, Finn rushed out and climbed in the passenger seat. "When did Kurt leave?" Puck asked.

"Why do you care?" Finn retorted.

Puck sighed. "That kid is gonna have the shit scared out of him," he explained. "You have no idea, dude."

"What is with you two?" Finn shot. "You're acting all friendly with him."

"Finn, seriously, you're being such a chick right now," Puck shook his head. "I'm the only one that knows what he's dealing with and maybe that means we've been talking more. Big deal."

"What if he starts to like you?" Finn asked, his face contorted in disgust.

"I'll deal with that if it happens," Puck shrugged noncommittally. "But seriously, dude, what happened to all that brotherly love shit you were spewing out when your parents got married? Now you just like, hate him. It's a little annoying."

"He knocked up my girlfriend!" Finn shouted.

"You guys weren't together!" Puck shouted back. "The kid made a fucking mistake! Just back off, okay?"

"He's only keeping it to piss me off, I know it."

Puck sighed, trying to contain his anger as he drove. "Dude, not everything is about you. We can't all do what you want and sometimes you're gonna get hurt. It fucking happens," he said. "Kurt's doing something I didn't have the balls to do so just leave him alone."

"That kid is just going to remind me that he fucked my girlfriend," Finn shot. "It's not fair."

"Life isn't fair, Finn," Puck glared at him. "And seriously, you and Rachel _weren't together_ so you can drop that shit right now."

"What's your problem?" Finn asked.

"My problem is you," Puck said, taking a corner rather quickly, tires squealing on the pavement. "You need to man up and accept the fact that Kurt is taking in this baby. Get over it. Kurt's gonna be scared to death and fighting with you is _not_ going to help that any."

"Dude, you totally love him," Finn teased.

It was like Karofsky's idiocy was passed on to Finn when he left or something. Finn would have never made those accusations in the past. "Finn, you need to get something through your head really fucking quick," Puck said, the hospital finally in sight. "Kurt is taking in this kid and they'll both be living in the same house as you. You're gonna have to get over it and move on – you're gonna be one of the few family members this kid has. Grow up."

Finn looked pissed and didn't move when they parked in the hospital parking ramp. Puck sighed and looked at Finn, "You don't know half of what he's going through. Hell, I don't even know it all. But I know more than you, and this is going to be one of the scariest things that kid ever does, and that's saying something. He doesn't need someone fighting with him, he needs his fucking family. His _entire_ family."

Puck got out of the truck, ending the conversation. Finn sat for a moment and followed a few strides behind Puck the whole time. When they got inside, they asked at the front desk where to go and were soon up in the maternity ward. Finn was terrified at the sight of all the nurses and doctors and crying. They asked for Rachel Berry's room and were sent to the end of the hall. There sat Kurt, holding her hand as she breathed heavily.

They noticed Puck and Finn in the doorway immediately. Kurt looked relieved and Rachel looked overwhelmed. Finn rushed to her side, planting a kiss on her forehead. Kurt walked over to Puck who stayed in the doorway the whole time. He followed Puck silently into the hallway. "What are you doing here?" Kurt asked.

"I needed to talk to you," Puck said seriously, shoving his hands in his pockets. He did that when he was going to say something meaningful, Kurt had noticed. "When Beth was born, I got to be there. In the room." Kurt nodded. "Dude, it's going to be intense. And like, fucking scary. I just…wanted you to know."

Kurt said softly, "Thanks for the warning."

They stood in silence for a minute. "So, when is she gonna have it?" Puck asked.

"The doctor said within the next hour," Kurt explained. "This waiting sucks though."

Puck let out a nervous laugh and said, "At least you have time to get used to idea that this is happening. With Quinn it was all so fast."

Kurt laughed a little and they stood around awkwardly. "Oh, and uh, just a warning, but they're gonna make you wear these fucking ugly scrub things," Puck said.

Kurt made a face. "That sounds terrible," he admitted.

"They're ugly. Like, hideous," Puck laughed. "And that's saying something because you know I don't really give a shit about my clothes."

With a smile, Kurt nodded and said, "I can only imagine."

Puck noticed that Kurt was shaking a little. "You okay?" he asked.

"I'm just scared. And nervous," Kurt admitted.

"You'll be fine, dude," Puck reassured him. "I'll be here the whole time, too. I drove Finn and I figure he doesn't want to leave anytime soon."

Kurt looked at Puck closely. He could leave if he wanted to; Kurt had his Navigator there and he could let Finn drive it. Part of him wondered if Puck was just making excuses. He hoped so, but Puck would never do that. Not for Kurt, at least.

Finn approached and said, "Kurt, she's getting ready to have the baby."

He nodded and Puck said, "Good luck."

Kurt took a deep breath and prepared himself for what was to come. "Rachel um…she said I should ask if you were okay with me staying in there when he's born?" Finn asked nervously.

That was the first time that Finn had acknowledged that the baby had a gender. It surprised him, but given Finn's strange behavior lately, he shrugged it off as a slip up. "I thought you didn't want him around?" Kurt shot.

"Yeah…I'm sorry about that," Finn shrugged, looking at the floor. "I kind of overreacted." Kurt let out a huff and rolled his eyes. "I just…I don't know. I was a dick but Rachel's my girlfriend and I wanna be there for her."

"Does that mean you're okay with me keeping him?" Kurt raised an eyebrow.

Finn was silent for a minute before admitting, "I'm not crazy about it, but I mean, I guess it's cool."

Kurt looked skeptical. "I think you'll be a good dad," Finn offered.

A nurse interrupted at that moment, holding out the hideous scrubs to them both. Finn gave Kurt a questioning glance and Kurt nodded. Both put on the scrubs and Kurt looked mortified. "I told you they were ugly," Puck laughed.

"These are coming off as soon as possible," Kurt shook his head, laughing with him.

Finn and Kurt walked down the hall and Puck sat down in the waiting room. He felt so lame just sitting there, alone, waiting for someone else's baby.

Inside the room, Rachel was panting and shouting in pain. Kurt held one of her hands and Finn held the other. She was squeezing them painfully tight, but neither complained. Doctors and nurses shouted instructions at Rachel to breathe, push, relax, push harder. It was overwhelming; Kurt's ears were ringing. Finn looked absolutely shocked and a little confused. He tried to focus on Rachel, though.

Her hair was stuck to her face and in a matted mess; Finn pushed it out of the way but it didn't help. She shouted and her face contorted in pain. "Push, Rachel!" the doctor instructed.

Tears brimmed in her eyes as she did as she was told. Over and over again she pushed, then breathed, then pushed again. It was almost too much for Kurt to handle. "One more time, Rachel, you're almost done!" her doctor reassured her.

She let out a shout of pain as she pushed; her face was red and Kurt couldn't feel his fingertips. Then he heard it; the crying. He was here. _Kurt's baby was born._ Nurses wiped off the baby and Rachel rested back on her pillows, exhausted. Kurt watched in awe as people buzzed around him. He didn't move until their baby was in Rachel's arms. "He looks like you, Kurt," Finn said with a smile.

Rachel looked up at Kurt proudly. Through the layers of blue blankets, Kurt saw him. His son. He was so tiny, but he was the spitting image of his father. He smiled. No, he _beamed_ at the sight of his son. It was all so much to take in; Kurt felt like smiling and crying and being scared and jumping for joy. So many emotions were going through him. Rachel smiled down at the baby and before Kurt knew it he was being ushered out of the room so they could properly clean up both of them.

Finn and Kurt went into the hallway where they took off their scrubs. Puck stood there looking nervous, a bag from the gift shop downstairs in his hand. "Well?" he asked, seeing Finn and Kurt approaching.

"He's perfect," was all Kurt could see, tears forming in his eyes.

Puck smiled and said, "Congrats, Kurt."

Before either really knew what they were doing, they were wrapped in a tight embrace. Finn stood behind them, not quite sure what he should be thinking about what they were doing. Kurt hugged Puck tightly, smiling into his shoulder. Puck's strong arms were wrapped around Kurt's shoulders and he was smiling bigger than Finn had seen him smile in a long time. "Mr. Hummel?" a nurse asked as she approached the group of boys.

Kurt turned around, slowly releasing his hold on Puck. "Yeah?" he asked.

"Your son is all cleaned up if you'd like to hold him. He's in Rachel's new room," she smiled.

Beaming, Kurt nodded and followed the nurse down a hallway, Finn and Puck in his wake. In the room was a little cart with a bundle of blue blankets squirming in the middle. Kurt approached slowly, cautiously, as if just walking towards him would break him. He looked down nervously. The nurse must have noticed his shaking hands because she suggested he sit down and she hand the baby to him.

Kurt did as she suggested and watched as the nurse slowly lowered the baby into his arms. He held his breath for a moment, just looking down at him in awe. Puck and Finn stood just inside the door, watching. Kurt heard a small cooing noise from the baby and watched him almost fearfully, like he'd broken him. The little boy's eyes struggled to open, damp lashes sticking together slightly. When he succeeded, though, Kurt's eyes met his. He smiled down at the boy, not knowing exactly what to say or do. "What are you going to name him?" Finn asked.

"I don't know," Kurt admitted. "I hadn't even thought about it. Wow, I'm starting this whole parenting off on the wrong foot, aren't i?" he laughed nervously.

Puck walked across the room to where Kurt was sitting. He looked down at the baby and said, "You're doing fine. And I know it's like, none of my business, but he kind of looks like an Alex."

Kurt thought about it for a moment. Alex _was_ a good name. Not to mention his favorite designer is Alexander McQueen. "I like it," Kurt admitted with a smile.

Finn began walking towards them as well, but froze when Kurt said, "Alexander Finn Hummel."

Wide eyes looked at Kurt, who looked up at his step-brother, waiting for a reaction. "Really?" Finn asked, surprised. "I've kind of been a dick to you for like, a long time. You sure you want to name him after me?"

"You're the only brother I have, and even though you're a complete ignoramus sometimes, I still love you," Kurt said simply. "You're family."

Finn smiled proudly and said, "Sweet."

Rachel was wheeled into the room and moved to her bed slowly. "How are you feeling?" Finn asked her instantly.

"I'm exhausted," she admitted, curling up under the blankets almost immediately.

She looked over at Kurt, who was back to staring at Alex lovingly. "What's his name?" she asked softly.

Rachel looked so tired, and Kurt didn't blame her one bit. "Rachel, meet Alexander Finn Hummel," Kurt said, slowly walking over to the bed.

She smiled at Kurt, then the baby, and said, "I love it."

Kurt let her fall asleep after that, though, and Finn went out into the hallway to call Rachel's parents for her. "I uh…I got this for him," Puck said, holding out the bag he'd been holding lamely.

Kurt looked at it as Puck pulled up a chair next to him. Reaching inside, Kurt pulled out a little plush duck. "It was either that or a unicorn, and I thought that was a little too gay for a baby boy," Puck teased.

"Thank you," Kurt smiled, holding the little duck down to Alex.

Small fingers wrapped around its wing and Puck watched in amazement. He'd never gotten to interact with Beth like Kurt was interacting with Alex. It made him jealous, to be totally honest. Kurt noticed Puck's longing stare and asked softly, "Do you want to hold him?"

"Kurt…I…uh…" Puck stammered, surprised that he'd been asked that question.

Kurt just raised an eyebrow. Puck nodded, at a loss for words. Slowly, carefully, he rested Alex in Puck's arms. Puck looked down at Alex in awe. "He's so small," he commented.

"I know," Kurt sighed. "It's terrifying."

Alex was still holding the plush duck and looked up at the mohawked boy with wide eyes. He cooed up at the man holding him and Puck couldn't help but smile. "It's like he's your second chance," Kurt offered.

Puck looked at Kurt quickly, confused. Kurt instantly wished he hadn't said anything. But when Puck didn't yell at him or get weirded out, Kurt elaborated, "I mean…you don't get to see Beth grow up, and well…we're friends now, so we'll hang out. Alex will probably be with us so you know…it's like a second chance. I know it's not the same as Beth since he's not _yours_, but it's something." Kurt shrugged.

With a nod, Puck said softly, "Yeah…you're right. Sweet, dude. Thanks."

He smiled lightly and Kurt watched adoringly. If he had thought Puck was attractive before, it was nothing compared to now. Something about big, badass Noah Puckerman holding a newborn baby was just incredibly _sexy_, and as much as Kurt just wanted to confess his feelings, he knew he couldn't. A year ago a friendship with Puck would have been out of the question. He wasn't going to mess that up by wanting _more_. Kurt would settle for friendship because hey, friendship was better than nothing.


	5. Chapter 5

Two days later when it was time to go home, Kurt was terrified all over again. Carole had taught him how to change a diaper and he was getting used to feeing Alex, but going home meant no nurses to help. It meant Kurt was on his own: officially a single father. He'd have to go back to school on Monday and he was terrified. Carole had offered to watch Alex during the day since she worked at home. Kurt felt endlessly guilty for accepting her offer, but she insisted she was happy to do it. It appeared as though she loved the new role of grandmother that had been bequeathed to her.

On Friday when Kurt walked through the door of his house, baby carrier in hand, the house was still and empty. "Why don't you take him down to his new room?" Burt suggested.

Kurt nodded. Alex had smelled a little funky on the car ride home, anyway. Slowly, so as to not hit the car seat against the walls of the staircase, Kurt walked downstairs. He was shocked to see at least a dozen bodies gathered in the basement, tacky pastel decorations draped across the room. The glee club had organized a welcome home party. Even Rachel was in attendance, although how she got home before Kurt when they left the hospital at the same time was completely baffling to him. "Congratulations, Kurt!" Mercedes said excitedly.

He walked into the room, shocked. Everyone instantly huddled around the little boy in his carrier, and it was amazing how they all backed away at the same time, the stench from his diaper pushing them as far away as possible, their faces contorted in disgust. "That's not very polite," Kurt cooed to Alex, but intended it for everyone else.

"The smell is awful," Tina plugged her nose.

Carefully Kurt lifted Alex from his carrier and went across the room to the changing table. Everyone stood, kind of surprised, as he changed the baby's diaper like an expert. Kurt didn't even cringe, and they all knew how much he hated offensive smells and dirty things. Once the diaper was all taken care of, the party was underway. Everyone took turns holding Alex, and he was being surprisingly patient with all of them. It was evident that he was more like his father than his mother in that respect.

A few people brought gifts; Sam and Quinn had given him some jumpers, Mercedes had bought some baby bling she found at the mall, and Kurt spotted the quilt Carole had made hanging on the crib. "Thank you guys," Kurt kept repeating.

He also noticed that throughout the afternoon, Puck kept taking Alex from people. Kurt grinned; Puck totally loved holding Alex. Nobody seemed to notice; maybe that's why he kept doing it? It was adorable, Kurt couldn't deny, and he almost wanted to bring it up. After a few hours of fawning over Alex and chatting with Kurt (and maybe an impromptu jam session or five), people began leaving bit by bit. Eventually it was just Finn, Rachel, Puck, Kurt, and Alex down in the basement. "We're going to go make some dinner," Rachel said. "Is there anything special you guys want?"

"Nothing too unhealthy; we still have to watch what dad eats," Kurt spoke up. "Otherwise you have creative license."

Rachel laughed and followed Finn upstairs. Kurt approached Puck who was sitting in the rocking chair and holding Alex for like, the fifteenth time that day. "Can't keep your hands off of him, can you?" Kurt teased, raising an eyebrow.

He sat on his chaise that was adjacent to the rocking chair. Kurt couldn't help but smile when he noticed that Alex had fallen asleep in Puck's arms. When Puck didn't reply, Kurt said softly, "You would have made a great dad."

Still no reply. Kurt sighed and walked across the room. He started taking down the horrible pastel banners and ribbons. "Thanks, dude," Puck said, avoiding eye contact.

Kurt turned, surprised at the late acknowledgment. "You're welcome," he nodded with a small smile.

As Kurt cleaned up the basement, Puck just kept rocking in the chair, Alex snoozing away in his arms. It wasn't until Rachel came downstairs to announce that dinner was ready that Kurt managed to get the baby away from Puck. He laid Alex in his crib, turned on the monitor, and went upstairs, Puck following close behind.

They ate dinner in silence, and Kurt couldn't help but notice that Puck's eyes hardly ever left the monitor. It was like he was begging for Alex to wake up. When he didn't and dinner was finished, Finn had just about had enough. Kurt could tell Puck had a talking-to coming, so he volunteered to help Rachel clean up after dinner. Burt and Carole settled into their regular seats on the sofa, beginning their evening channel surfing.

In the kitchen, Kurt and Rachel scooped the leftovers into containers, rinsed off the dishes, and set them in the dishwasher. While they were doing this, Rachel spoke up, "I know I said I didn't want to keep him. I still don't; I'm not ready for that. But…I was wondering if…maybe I could see him every once in a while? Like to visit or see pictures or something?"

Kurt looked up at Rachel and said earnestly, "Of course."

"Thank you," she smiled, relief spreading across her features.

Nodding, he returned to the dishes and didn't stop again until Rachel decided to speak again, "You and Noah are very good together."

He froze and turned to her slowly. "Excuse me?" he asked incredulously.

"I know you two have been spending more time together. It's only natural, considering for a while he was the only person that could relate to you," Rachel stated simply. "I just don't want you to get hurt again, okay? Noah is straight and I'm afraid you're developing feelings he can't reciprocate."

"Rachel, we're just friends, but thank you for your concern," he said curtly, setting a plate in the dishwasher rather roughly.

"Just…be careful, please?" she pleaded.

"I'll be fine," he said firmly. "Puck and I are just friends. I'm pretty sure he's just hanging out with me because of Alex anyway."

Kurt instantly felt guilty for that last part, but part of him had been wondering. It could have been _anyone_ in the glee club that got pregnant and Puck would have flocked to them eventually. He didn't get his own kid so why not step in and take care of someone else's? Of course, this raised a thousand other questions about why badass Noah Puckerman was _so insistent_ on having a baby to take care of. Kurt had tried to figure out why Puck was so drawn to babies, but he just couldn't. Sure, some people are born to be parents, but Puck certainly didn't appear to be one of those people. At least not upon first glance.

Shouts from upstairs warned Kurt and Rachel not to go seeking out the guys, so instead they went into the living room to join Burt and Carole.

After dinner when Puck and Finn went upstairs, Puck was reluctant. Finn had been giving him suspicious looks all through dinner and it was unnerving, to say the least. Once inside the confines of Finn's new room (devoid of cowboy wallpaper _thank god_), things went insane. "Look, I get that you didn't get to keep Beth so you have his sick dad complex, but you can't be around here all the time," Finn said instantly. "Kurt's going to start to like you and when that happens you _can't_ get him to back off!"

Puck instantly looked pissed off. "Dude, you need to shut up, okay?" he shot lamely. "Kurt and I are friends now."

Finn raised an eyebrow and asked, "So, are you two like, boyfriends then?"

"No," Puck shook his head. "We're _just friends_."

"Friends who take care of a baby together?" Finn challenged. "And friends who hug in waiting rooms? Friends that have sick sleepovers where you try to pretend nothing happened when you're both obviously covered in dirt from rolling around outside? You're not _just friends_, dude."

"Shut the fuck up," Puck shot. "We're just friends and you're just jealous."

Finn laughed and said, "I'm not jealous of you. Kurt's like, practically drooling over you and you just hang around, getting him hard with your damn daddy complex."

"Would you stop saying that!" Puck shouted. "So I wanted to hold Alex a few times. Big deal. That doesn't mean I want to be a dad."

"You're jealous that Rachel let Kurt keep their baby but that Quinn wouldn't let you keep yours," Finn smirked.

He'd hit a soft spot there. Puck's face contorted in rage and he pushed Finn backwards. "You're jealous of Kurt," Finn laughed. "I bet you're so jealous you're starting to think about _dating_ him. You want him because if you two are together you can have a kid to take care of."

"Shut the fuck up," Puck spat, throwing a punch at Finn's chest.

Finn didn't fight back, he just laughed. "That is so sick, dude," Finn said. "You're not a badass, you're pathetic."

"What the hell is your problem!" Puck asked angrily. "Earlier today you planned this entire fucking welcome home party for Kurt and Alex and now you're being a complete ass."

"Just admit it," Finn shrugged. "Admit it and I'll back off. I'll never bring it up again."

He watched Puck closely, his expression blank. Shaking his head, Puck turned to leave. "Dude, you need to realize it soon or Kurt's going to move on and that'll be one more thing you can add to your list of regrets," Finn said softly.

Puck didn't acknowledge hearing Finn at all. He just turned and stormed down the stairs, out the door, and into his truck. With the squeal of tires on pavement, Puck was gone. "What happened?" Rachel asked, concerned, as Finn walked into the room.

"Don't worry about it," Finn shook his head. "Let's get you home."

He led Rachel outside and drove away as well.

Puck didn't talk to anybody for weeks, and his attendance at school was even worse than before. Kurt tried to seek him out to talk to him, to see if he wanted to spend some time with Alex, _anything_. Puck seemed to avoiding him, and it was starting to get to Kurt.

He went home after school and greeted Carole and Alex with a grin. Picking him up, Kurt said hello to him and was greeted with a precious smile. That smile would be the death of him, he knew it. Kurt would do _anything_ to keep that smile on his face. "How was he today?" he asked Carole, sitting down in the living room with her, resting Alex in his arms.

"Good," she nodded. "He was a little fussy this morning but I think he's just growing. He slept a lot, though, like usual."

Kurt nodded and looked down at the baby in his arms. It was hard to believe that Alex was almost a month old. When Finn walked through the door, he stopped in the kitchen to grab a cookie before joining them in the living room. "I have to go get some groceries," she said, handing the remote to Finn. "I'll be back in a bit."

"See ya, mom," Finn waved, pressing the power button.

He began channel surfing until Kurt spoke up, "Finn, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, dude," Finn nodded, eyes glued to the TV.

"What did you say to Puck the day we brought Alex home?"

Finn froze. Kurt would have thought he just found a channel he liked, but he stopped on a soap opera and those _definitely_ weren't Finn's preferred TV programs. "Nothing," he lied lamely.

"Just tell me," Kurt shot, annoyed.

"I might have…made fun of him a little," Finn admitted slowly, avoiding Kurt's eyes.

"About what?"

Again, Finn didn't really move. Maybe he was worried for his safety. Kurt hadn't been afraid to attack with a nail file before, and he could very easily set down Alex and do the same thing again. "I think he has a crush on you dude," Finn said finally. "And he has a sick obsession with Alex."

"He's my _friend_," Kurt emphasized the word. "Which also explains why he cares about Alex."

"What if he's only talking to you because of Alex? Like, because he didn't get to keep Beth or something?"

Kurt sighed and said, "He's not."

"How do you know?"

A million things raced through Kurt's mind and he couldn't find the right way to phrase it. Instead, he said, "I just know."

Instantly he knew it was a stupid remark. "Look, I know I totally rejected you and you might still be bitter about that, but you can't just start chasing after Puck," Finn said simply. "He'll humiliate you."

"Why is everything about dating with you!" Kurt said defensively. "Just because I'm gay I can't have friends that are guys without having some sick crush on them? It doesn't work like that, Finn."

Alex started squirming uncomfortably in his arms and Kurt shushed him, patting his back lightly. Finn was about to speak but Kurt cut him off as he stood and walked to the kitchen, "I wish I knew how your mind worked, Finn. One minute you're my awesome, caring step-brother, the next minute you're some ignorant jock like Karofsky. Make up your mind."

In the kitchen he held Alex with one arm and put a bottle in the microwave with his free hand. He waited the prescribed time before grabbing the bottle and a spit rag and going downstairs.

Kurt fought back tears as he fed Alex. Sometimes he wished he could go back to being a normal teenager with a social life and trips to the mall every other day, but most of the time he was happy to have Alex. Alex never judged him or fought with him. Sure, he'd cry, but Kurt could always make the crying go away. All Alex expected was to be loved and taken care of, and that filled Kurt with a sense of belonging he'd never felt before. Not at Dalton, not in New Directions, not even at home.

When Alex was done with his bottle and sound asleep, Kurt laid him down in his crib. Spotting the little plush duck in the corner, he had an idea. Kurt slid the duck over to Alex and tucked it under his arm. Then he pulled out his cell phone and took a picture.

Across town, Puck's stomach dropped when he got a text message from Kurt. He contemplated ignoring it, but for some reason he couldn't. Pressing the center button, Puck opened the message and felt an overwhelming sense of guilt and remorse (new feelings to the official Lima badass).

There lay Alex with the little stuffed duck from Puck under his tiny arm, asleep. That wasn't all. Below the picture were six words. Six words that made Puck revisit _everything_ he'd pushed to the back of his mind in the last few weeks.

_From: Kurt  
>Alex misses you. So do I.<em>


	6. Chapter 6

The rest of the week after he'd gotten that text from Kurt, Puck couldn't take his mind off of it. Neither Kurt nor Alex had done anything wrong, really. It was just Puck being an ass. He kept returning to what Finn had told him, though, and it was driving him insane.

"_Dude, you need to realize it soon or Kurt's going to move on and that'll be one more thing you can add to your list of regrets."_

He wasn't gay. He _couldn't_ be gay. But damn it all if he didn't want to be around Kurt and Alex Hummel every single fucking day. It was unexplainable and driving him insane. It wasn't just Alex that drew him to Kurt; he and Kurt had been on good terms long before Alex was even born. None of it made sense.

In the locker room on Friday, Puck cornered Finn. "I need to talk to you, dude," Puck said seriously.

Finn looked scared, almost like he thought Puck was going to jump him. Puck inwardly rolled his eyes at how completely _idiotic_ his best friend was (if he could even still call him that). "What's up?" Finn asked.

Most of the guys had already filed out of the locker room, leaving just a couple people besides Finn and Puck. "First off, I want to set the record straight. I'm _not_ gay," Puck said firmly.

Finn raised an eyebrow and said slowly, "Okay…?"

"And you were a total ass that day when you were saying all that shit," Puck added. "I do _not_ have a daddy complex or whatever the hell you called it."

Finn's mouth opened, ready to spit out an argument.

"But," Puck cut him off. "You might have been a little right that day, too."

"About what?" Finn asked.

Puck struggled to find the words. It was incredibly hard; he was talking to his best friend (that he's fought with more times than he could count) about something he'd never even said aloud before. "I…well, maybe I have thought about Kurt in like…the wrong way, okay?" Puck said, busying himself with repacking his duffel bag.

He expected a laugh, a snort, _something_ mean from Finn, but nothing came. He looked over at him slowly, a million different scenarios running through his mind. "I thought you just said you weren't gay?" Finn asked, confused.

There it was, that dopey look of confusion. That's the Finn that Puck was used to, not the asshole Finn being an ignoramus and treating everyone like shit. "I'm not," Puck said quickly. "I still look at girls and wanna bang them…sometimes. But with Kurt it's different."

"You love him, don't you?" Finn asked simply.

Puck looked shocked. He didn't use the 'l' word. Not that one, at least. Love was something for wimps and suckers, not Puckzilla. "You feel something for him though, don't you?" Finn corrected himself.

"You tell anyone and you're dead," Puck said menacingly.

Finn just laughed, "I've known longer than you, dude."

"What the fuck?"

With a shrug, Finn explained, "Those puppy dog eyes Kurt used to give me? I see you guys looking at each other like that all the time. Well, you used to at least. Kurt still looks at you like that but you just kind of ignore him."

Puck didn't reply. "Look, it's whatever," Finn shrugged. "I'm sorry I was an ass that day but you needed to hear it. You would have never figured it out if I hadn't done that."

"You're an idiot," Puck said lamely. He paused before asking, "Kurt totally hates me now, huh?"

Finn just stood and said, "He's not happy."

Puck looked guilty at that statement. "Mom and Burt are going out of town for the weekend and I'm taking Rachel on a date and won't be back until late. I'll see you later, dude," Finn said.

He left the locker room without a look back. Puck just stood, deep in thought. Part of him was pissed that Finn hadn't been as stupid and oblivious as usual and noticed this before him. It was embarrassing and made him a little annoyed. He was a badass and nobody bested him, especially Finn Hudson. But part of him didn't care. It was a relief that Finn hadn't beat him up because of it, and he'd actually told someone. Besides, he couldn't _really_ get picked on for it – he still liked girls.

Kurt was sitting around the living room, baby monitor crackling in the background with the comfort that Alex was asleep. He'd been particularly fussy that night and Kurt was getting frustrated. He channel surfed, trying to find something he wouldn't mind having to walk away from in case Alex woke up again. He was surprised when his phone buzzed around eight o'clock.

_From: Noah  
>hey, u home?<em>

Kurt rolled his eyes and wanted to ignore him. But then he thought that maybe his text had had some sort of effect on Puck. That would mean that it was a guilt text, though. Against his better judgment, Kurt texted Puck back. Puck couldn't help but get a little excited at the response, even if Kurt did sound a little crabby.

_From: Kurt  
>Of course I am. I have a baby to take care of.<em>

Puck hastily typed up a message and Kurt fought a smile when he read it.

_From: Noah  
>u want sum company?<em>

Kurt thought about it for a moment. His dad and Carole hadn't told him he couldn't have anyone over. Not to mention besides Alex, he was home alone. Plus, he was a gay teenage dad, how much more trouble could he get into? He replied and Puck practically beamed at the response.

_From: Kurt  
>Sure. Just come in when you get here, though. I don't want the doorbell to wake Alex.<em>

Kurt's stomach was a mess of butterflies that only intensified when he read the next text he received.

_From: Noah  
>ok im on my way<em>

It seemed like forever until he heard the doorknob on the front door open. Puck walked in with a strange expression. He almost looked guilty, but at the same time nervous. Kurt had only seen Puck look nervous one other time, and that was when he was pushing Quinn through the hallways of the hospital, baby Beth on the way. "Hey," Kurt said softly, setting down the remote.

Puck nodded and walked into the living room. He sat next to Kurt, who watched him curiously. "Look, I uh…I know I haven't talked to you much lately," he began.

"You've completely avoided me," Kurt corrected.

"Right," Puck nodded. "I uh…I'm sorry. I've just been…thinking."

Kurt's heart sank and the butterflies disappeared. Now dread filled him. "Look, this is really hard for me and I didn't really even think I'd be saying this but," he said quickly, then paused to take a breath before saying, "I guess maybe I don't just like girls."

Shock was evident on Kurt's face as Puck looked at him strangely. "What makes you say that?" Kurt finally managed to stammer out.

"I think I uh…" he trailed off nervously. Then he switched gears completely and said, "Dude, you have no idea how badly I want to kiss you."

Kurt's eyes bulged and he looked at Puck like he was an alien. It wasn't until then that he noticed how close they were. Their knees were touching and Puck was leaning in a little. Kurt could smell him and felt vulnerable and clammy. He avoided Puck's eyes and focused on his breathing. It was hard to focus when intense brown eyes bore into his, though.

Before Kurt could even comprehend what was happening, warm, slightly-chapped lips were connected to his. They pressed against his for mere moments before Puck pulled away. Kurt struggled to find words but managed to form a sentence nonetheless, "Puck could you…uh…can you please explain to me what…uh…what's going on here?

He just shrugged and said, "I don't really know. I just wanted to do that."

Kurt looked completely overwhelmed and a little surprised. "You stopped talking to me for a month and then just come over and kiss me?" he asked, trying to make sense of it all.

"Okay, the reason I didn't talk to you for a month is because I was freaked out," Puck admitted. "Finn said some stuff that really got me thinking and I had to sort it all out."

Kurt raised an eyebrow. "Do I really need to say this?" Puck asked, slightly frustrated.

Feeling mischievous, Kurt smirked and said, "Yeah. I want to hear you say it."

Rolling his eyes, Puck said, "You are _just_ like Finn!"

Kurt wasn't sure what he meant by that, but just watched, arms crossed, as Puck fought an internal battle. "Fine, the truth is…dude, this is…"

"First, don't call me dude," Kurt held up a finger. "I've let it slide before but in this context, it's a little inappropriate."

He wasn't sure why he was being so brave when he had a pretty good idea of what was going to be said. It took a lot of guts, even for Lima's resident badass. He decided to back off and let Puck say what he needed to, snide remarks aside. Puck glared at him before saying, "I think I might like you."

Kurt looked surprised. That wasn't what he was expecting. Sure, Puck had kissed him, but he assumed that was more of a curiosity thing. What he'd been _expecting _to hear was that Puck was bisexual or something. But this? Kurt couldn't help but be a little surprised. Puck looked confused and a little angry with himself for being such a girl. "Okay, yeah, I knew this was a mistake," Puck said, standing and walking towards the door.

"Wait," Kurt called, standing as well.

Puck stopped but didn't turn to face Kurt. He stood, completely embarrassed and frustrated with himself. Kurt reached out to grasp Puck's hand with his own, tugging on it to guide Puck to turn around. Puck kept a determined glare focused on his feet, trying to ignore how close Kurt was standing to him. "I know that wasn't easy," Kurt said finally. "Both coming to terms with your sexuality _and_ telling me how you feel."

Puck fixed a hard glare on Kurt and asked, "That's all you have to say?"

A soft hand rested on Puck's cheek as the silence hung around them. Kurt's lips drew dangerously close to Puck's. Their breaths ghosted across the others lips and Puck looked down at Kurt through heavy-lidded eyes. Then they heard a wailing noise coming from the baby monitor. Kurt sighed and looked down. "He's been fussy all night," he explained. "I'll be right back."

Puck just stood there as Kurt went downstairs. They were _so close_. For the first time ever, Puck was less than enthused about the idea of having Alex around. He heard Kurt shushing the baby through the monitor and walked into the living room, looking a little surprised that Kurt had stopped on a sports channel. Puck watched the rerun of a 90's baseball game as he heard Kurt desperately, pleadingly whisper to Alex to calm down and fall back asleep. Almost an hour passed before Kurt came back upstairs. He looked frustrated and like he had shed a tear or two. "You okay?" Puck asked.

Kurt just nodded, flopping down on the sofa next to him. "It's going to be a long night," Kurt sighed.

"Wanna watch a movie?" Puck asked randomly.

Looking relieved, Kurt nodded and said, "Go ahead and pick one."

"What do you want to watch?"

"I don't care," Kurt admitted.

He looked absolutely exhausted. Puck looked over all the titles on the shelf and finally chose one. He put it in the DVD player and returned to the couch. He sat next to Kurt and instantly wrapped his arm around the smaller boy's shoulder. When the main menu showed up, Kurt asked, "The Sound of Music? Really?"

"Yeah, I thought you liked this one?" Puck said, cocking an eyebrow.

Kurt just smiled and nodded, turning his attention back to the screen. They mostly watched in silence. Every once in a while Kurt's fingers would find the ones Puck was resting his shoulder, but most of the time Kurt was still. Puck could have sworn Kurt even dozed off a few times. The most reaction he got out of Kurt was during the song "So Long, Farewell." When the younger boy (Kurt, his name was? Ironic…) sang his part, Puck burst out, "Hey! He has the same name as you _and_ he sings like you!"

Puck had earned a strong smack to the gut for that comment, but it made Kurt laugh and that was all that mattered. (Right? Was that how the relationship thing worked?) A little further on in the movie, crying started coming from the monitor again. Kurt groaned and moved to sit up, but Puck stopped him. "Let me," he said.

Kurt wanted to argue; Puck was a guest and shouldn't have to take care of Alex. He was so tired, though. Puck stood and went downstairs, peering down at the squirming crying baby in the crib nervously. He reached down and remembered everything he'd been told when his little sister was born (be careful, support the head, don't yell, things like that). When he had Alex in his arms, he rocked him a little, patting his back. The crying didn't stop right away. He tried shushing Alex but that didn't work either.

Puck looked around desperately, not quite sure what to do next. He spotted a pacifier lying in the crib and tried that. Alex took it, but not for very long. Maybe he was hungry and thought the pacifier was a bottle? He tried to shush Alex as long as he could as he made his way upstairs. Assuming there were bottles in the refrigerator, Puck went right to the kitchen. Alex began to whimper but Puck set the bottle down, patted his back, and re-gave him the pacifier. He quieted down again.

When the bottle was in the microwave (he guessed on the time), Puck peeked around the corner. Kurt was sprawled across the couch, sleeping, his mouth part-way open in a way he'd _definitely_ deny in the morning. The microwave beeped and Alex started whimpering again. "Just a minute, little guy," Puck said, looking around the kitchen for a rag of some sort. He knew babies made messes and there was no way he'd have baby throw up on his clothes.

Alex's whimpering grew and Puck shushed him again. He spotted the rag and grabbed it triumphantly. "It's almost eatin' time, buddy," Puck whispered to him, walking downstairs.

Sitting in the rocking chair, Puck took away the pacifier and replaced it with a bottle before Alex even had time to cry. The baby boy sucked at it eagerly. He was hungry and Puck _totally_ called it. Score one for Puckzilla! It didn't even take that long for Alex to drink the whole bottle down. Setting the bottle to the side, Puck patted Alex's back and rocked him to sleep.

Setting him in the crib was the hardest part, though. Every inch that he moved he was fearful that he'd wake Alex. Finally he had him lying down, though, and could proudly walk upstairs, empty bottle and spit rag in hand. He set them on the counter and went back into the living room where Kurt was still asleep. The people on screen were pushing a car in the dark.

Puck flipped off the TV and DVD player and knelt down by where Kurt's head was resting on the arm of the couch. "Kurt," he whispered, shaking the boy's shoulder a little.

Kurt grumbled and rolled over. "Come on, let's get you to bed," Puck said, putting an arm around Kurt's shoulders.

Puck's other arm scooped underneath Kurt's legs and he stood up slowly. Kurt's head fell limply on his shoulder and he sighed. Puck was a little surprised at how light Kurt was, but then again, he _was_ kind of lady-like. Once they were downstairs (walking down the stairs carrying Kurt like that was rather difficult, so it took a while), Puck laid Kurt down on his bed. Instead of trying to tug the covers out from underneath him, he grabbed at the fancy blanket on Kurt's chaise and draped that over him instead. Not wanting to wake either of them, Puck didn't say a word. He just planted a quick kiss on Kurt's head and went upstairs.

Just as he reached the landing, Finn walked in. It was a little unnerving that Finn didn't look surprised to see Puck at all. "Hey," he said, hanging his denim jacket in the hall closet.

"Hey," Puck nodded.

Puck stood lamely as Finn walked into the kitchen and began washing the empty bottle on the counter. "How was your date with Rachel?" Puck asked.

He was never any good with random conversation like that. You know, conversations about relationships and shit. "It was good," Finn nodded. "I'm assuming you and Kurt are speaking again?"

"Yup," Puck said.

He walked towards the door as Finn went into the living room. "Where's Kurt?" Finn asked.

"He's asleep," Puck explained.

Finn raised an eyebrow. "He fell asleep when we were watching a movie so I carried him downstairs," Puck elaborated. "I'm not creepy, dude."

Finn fought back a laugh and Puck punched him in the arm. Puck's hand grabbed for the doorknob but he stopped when Finn started messing with the monitor. "What are you doing?" Puck asked.

"Kurt usually shuts this off before he goes to bed," Finn shrugged. "Otherwise the batteries in this thing go dead really fast."

Finn actually noticed things like that? And he washed bottles and shit? Puck was a little annoyed that Finn had thrown such a hissy fit about Kurt keeping the baby and was all over helping to take care of it. Puck just stood there as Finn wandered towards his room. "Dude, what's up? I thought you were leaving?" Finn asked.

"Are you sure you guys are fine here alone? Kurt said Alex has been really fussy tonight and Kurt was exhausted," Puck said.

"You are so whipped," Finn laughed. When Puck just glared at him, Finn asked, "What? You want to stay over or something?"

"Dude, don't make it sound so gay," Puck shot.

Finn shut off the living room lights and said, "Come on, I'll grab you a pair of pajamas. We'll pull out the sofa downstairs and you can stay there and help Kurt if you want."

Puck followed Finn to his room and accepted a pair of flannel pants and a tee shirt before pausing and asking, "Why are you all of a sudden okay with all of this?"

"I've had plenty of time to deal with you and Kurt," Finn shrugged. "Besides, Alex is kind of really cute. I don't mind him much anymore. It doesn't feel like he's Rachel's baby; just Kurt's. Not to mention my mom kinda bitched me out. Like, a lot."

Puck didn't say another word, just allowed Finn to lead him downstairs and open up the fold out bed. Still in shock over the events of the evening, Puck drifted off to sleep, content with the sounds of light breathing from the other two boys in the basement.


	7. Chapter 7

Puck and Kurt's relationship progressed slowly over the next couple of months. The only people that knew about it were Finn and Rachel. It was hard to have much of anything, though, when Kurt was always taking care of Alex. Puck could only stay over so many weekends (Burt and Carole were starting to get suspicious of the two of them) and Kurt didn't want to risk Alex getting too attached to him. This whole relationship was so new to both of them he had to look out for Alex's best interests.

They didn't get a break until the Dalton Academy invitational. New Directions was going as a group to support their competition (much to Kurt's frustration). Carole and Burt had offered to babysit for the day so Kurt didn't have to watch Alex for almost a full day, and as much as he loved his son, Kurt was looking forward to a break.

New Directions left early that morning and Kurt sat in his own seat on the bus, staring out the window longingly. Mercedes was wrapped up in conversation with Quinn, leaving Kurt with nobody to speak to. He and Puck had agreed that while in public they would act just like they had before, but dammit if it wasn't one of the hardest things in the _world_. Before the bus even got moving, Kurt was staring down at his phone in frustration.

_From: Blaine  
>Hey there :) I can't wait to see you today, handsome.<em>

Puck caught Kurt's expression out of the corner of his eye and pulled out his phone immediately. Kurt felt even worse when he read the next message he received.

_From: Noah  
>wuts up? u look sad<em>

Concern coursed through Puck: what if something was wrong with Alex? Of everything he was thinking, what Kurt told him was not even close.

_From: Kurt  
>Blaine. He doesn't know about us and I don't know if I can trust him to keep this a secret.<em>

Puck was a little confused. He knew who Blaine was, as a person at least. He didn't know the history between Kurt and Blaine and couldn't really figure out why someone as nice (presumably) as Blaine would tell their secret.

_From: Noah  
>y wouldnt he keep our secret?<em>

Kurt sighed and replied, purposely avoiding the brown eyes staring at him from several seats in front of him.

_From: Kurt  
>Well, basically he asked me out at the end of last year and I said no. I told him I wasn't ready to date, but really I just didn't want to date him. It would look bad if all of a sudden I was with someone else. He'd get mad and tell everyone.<em>

Puck read the novel-length text Kurt had sent him a couple of times before realizing what this meant. Blaine would probably hit on Kurt if he wasn't told the truth, but if he was told the truth, then all of New Directions would be told the truth out of spite. He sighed and ran a hand through his mohawk. Slowly he texted Kurt back.

_From: Noah  
>u gotta tell him the truth then i guess<em>

Kurt wasn't sure how to take Puck's text. He was either pissed, or he didn't really care. Biting his lip, Kurt replied.

_From: Kurt  
>Are you sure? What if the rest of New Directions finds out?<em>

Puck read the text and responded before he lost his nerve, his eyes now anywhere but on Kurt.

_From: Noah  
>fuck it. tell blaine the truth and we deal with the rest later<em>

Kurt took a deep breath and looked up at Puck. Brown eyes met blue ones and Kurt knew he had to. The jealousy would be too much for Puck if this was kept a secret. They both knew that, and the confession to New Directions wouldn't hurt nearly as much. He turned to look away out the window at the trees and houses speeding by. They still had a bit of a drive left, but Kurt didn't care. He couldn't keep his mind off of what exactly he and Puck would be getting themselves into.

Not more than ten minutes later Kurt felt the seat next to him press down as someone sat next to him. He turned to see Puck looking at him seriously. "It'll be fine," he shrugged, facing forward.

His letterman's jacket was taking up a lot of space in the seat and Kurt felt stifled. "I'm just nervous, that's all," Kurt admitted. "I mean, I lied to him."

"Du…Kurt," Puck corrected himself. It was really hard to break the 'dude' habit. "You told him you weren't ready to date. People can change even in a couple of months. You're ready to date now and he should respect that. If not, then he's just kind of a douche."

Kurt laughed a little and nodded. Neither of them noticed at least half of the bus staring at them. "How is Alex doing?" Puck asked.

He hadn't been around much lately thanks to football games, football practice, and Kurt's suspicious father and step-mother. "He's good," Kurt nodded. "He makes these cute gurgling noises like he's trying to talk. And sometimes when he's playing on his tummy he'll lift his head up on his own."

Puck was oddly content with how happy and proud Kurt sounded. At the same time he seemed a little disappointed that he'd missed seeing it. "You should come hang out after the invitational today," Kurt suggested. "I'm sure he'd like to see you."

"He doesn't know who I am," Puck shook his head.

"You'd be surprised," Kurt shrugged. "Besides, he always grabs for that stuffed duck you gave him, even when he has a bunch of toys to choose from."

Puck smirked a little at this, proud of the little guy. Of course his gift was superior; it was from Puckzilla! Most of New Directions was watching Kurt and Puck now, their eyes filled with shock. Rachel and Finn were pretending, of course, but still – the group was rather surprised by the unexpected alliance. When they got to Dalton, they all looked around in awe of the buildings. Kurt looked bored.

They followed Kurt (and Puck, who kept to his side like they were magnetized together) to the auditorium where they would be watching the Dalton Academy Warblers perform. Once the walked inside, a dapper, grinning boy bounded towards Kurt and wrapped him into a hug. Kurt gave him a half smile in return as he backed away a little. Finn and Rachel stood back, sensing conflict, as Blaine spotted Puck's glare.

"How are you doing?" Blaine asked Kurt, his smiled faded a little.

"Good," Kurt nodded. "I uh…I want you to meet someone." He turned to Puck and beckoned him forward. Tentatively his soft fingers entwined with Puck's before he turned back to Blaine and said, "This is my boyfriend, Noah."

Better to do it in front of New Directions so Blaine couldn't purposely try to hurt him, Kurt figured. "I thought you uh…I thought you said…?" he trailed off questioningly.

"There was just something about him," Kurt shrugged. "I can't really explain it, Blaine."

Puck looked smug and kind of triumphant, which ticked Blaine off a little bit. He was about to speak, but Wes and David stepped forward and told Blaine it was time to get on stage. They politely watched the performance and Kurt had to admit that while the group still showed no originality with their choreography or music choices (Katy Perry _again_!), Blaine had stepped it up a notch. His singing was fantastic and the group had great balance.

Afterwards, the Warblers were in the hall outside the auditorium, talking with family members and guests. Blaine approached the group and said, "Kurt, can I talk to you for a minute?"

He nodded and walked away, squeezing Puck's hand before he let go of it. "Dude, don't worry about it," Finn said quietly in Puck's ear, following the mohawked boy's glare across the room.

Puck's glare faded but he still watched them with a wary eye. Kurt looked exasperated as he conversed with Blaine, and then later nervous before Kurt dropped the baby bomb. It was a little obvious that's what happened, because Blaine looked like a fish out of water.

Kurt started babbling on and on and Blaine's expression relaxed. Then he turned to look at Puck before asking Kurt a question. With a proud, confident smile, Kurt nodded and answered whatever Blaine asked. They shared a hug (not nearly as intimate as the one earlier, much to Puck's relief) before Kurt returned to Puck's side. "I told him everything that happened with Rachel and Alex and you and he's not mad," Kurt said happily.

Puck's hand took Kurt's instantly and they followed Mr. Schuester out to the bus. Several members of New Directions (mainly Santana, Tina, and Mike) kept staring at Kurt and Puck like they couldn't believe the two were actually a _couple_. The rest of them had gotten over it quickly, especially when their skepticism had been lessened at Finn's statement that they had actually been together for months.

But still, when Kurt had a few minutes away from Puck (they were back at McKinley and the Puckzilla needed to _pee_), Quinn approached him. "Hey Kurt," she said softly.

"Hi Quinn," he smiled at her.

She sighed and began, "Look, I can tell that you and Puck are getting along well, and I'm happy for you. I just wanted to ask about Alex…"

"What about him?" Kurt asked, raising an eyebrow.

Choosing her words carefully, Quinn continued, "I didn't let Puck keep Beth and I know that kills him. I just…I don't want Alex hurt by getting too attached to Puck. You know, in case you two break up."

"I know," Kurt sighed. "I've thought about that. He just loves Alex so much it sometimes hurts to try to keep that distance."

"Just be careful, okay Kurt?" she asked.

He just nodded, not quite sure what to say. "I'm happy for you guys," Quinn told him with a smile, patting his arm before walking away.

Puck exited the bathroom and approached with a smirk. "Ready to go?" he asked.

Kurt smiled and nodded. He followed Puck outside and called to Finn as they walked past, "Puck and I will see you guys at home!"

Finn just waved them off as the couple walked to Puck's truck. They got to the Hummel-Hudson household before Finn and went inside to find Carole consoling a crying Alex, Burt making him a bottle in the kitchen. "Hi," Kurt said, rushing in. "I'm so sorry, I can take him."

"Don't apologize Kurt, babies cry," Carole insisted, handing the baby over. "He's just hungry."

Burt walked in and handed the bottle to Kurt. "You guys gonna be hanging out today?" he asked, eyes shifting between Puck and Kurt.

Kurt began feeding Alex while standing in the doorway and Puck draped his letterman's jacket over a chair in the dining room. Kurt looked guilty before saying, "We haven't been totally honest with you guys."

"You're dating," Burt said simply, walking into the living room and sitting down. "We know."

Puck and Kurt both looked shocked. "We noticed it a long time ago," Carole laughed it off. "Long before Alex was born. But every time we'd ask Finn if you two were together he'd insist that you weren't."

Puck thought it all made a little more sense now. Finn hadn't _really_ noticed the whole Puck and Kurt thing. He might have, but he would have never suspected the whole dating and feelings thing on his own. It was all his parents – he just took the credit, the little cheat.

"We uh…kinda came out to the whole glee club today," Puck shrugged, his hands in his pockets.

"That's step one then, huh?" Burt asked.

Kurt and Puck nodded, relieved that Burt and Carole had reacted so well. "Go ahead, go downstairs, we trust you," Carole smiled at them.

They turned to leave but stopped when Burt called out, "Oh, before you do!"

Kurt and Puck turned back to face them. Finn walked through the door and Burt said, "Perfect. Finn, you listen up, too."

Finn froze, afraid that he had done something wrong. "I want to take Carole out on a date tonight," Burt winked at her when she looked at him, shocked. "We'll be out overnight, so I want you all to be responsible. Puck, I know it's been a while since you last stayed over, so you're welcome to stay. Just stay out of trouble. Finn, Rachel can come over but she can't stay the night."

"No fair," Finn whined as Puck and Kurt nodded before going downstairs. "Why does Kurt get to have his boyfriend over but I can't have my girlfriend over?"

"Honey, are you sure her dads would even be okay with that?" Carole asked.

He shrugged and said, "I don't know. Maybe."

"Fine," Burt said gruffly. "If her dads say it's okay then Rachel can stay over. But no funny business from you guys either."

Finn smiled and pulled out his phone as he made his way to his room. Downstairs Alex had been passed off to Puck, who was now feeding him with a stupid smile on his face. Kurt sat on his chaise watching them closely. "You really like taking care of him, don't you?" he asked.

"Like you said, he's my second chance," Puck said as though it was obvious.

Kurt sighed and nodded. "What's on your mind?" Puck asked.

"You're in this relationship for me, right? Not Alex?" Kurt asked, his voice shaky.

"Kurt, you're like really awesome. Of course I'm in this for you," Puck said lamely.

Raising an eyebrow, Kurt challenged him, "What about me is so awesome?"

"You're a total badass for coming out to the whole school even though everyone picked on you," Puck began. "And like, you sing pretty high but you rock it. Plus you can dance really good and you have a really nice body. You're just…awesome."

Kurt figured that if Puck could have stuffed his hands in his pockets, he would have. Instead he just looked down at Alex with a determined stare. It had been hard for him to spill all that and Kurt knew it. "Alex is definitely an added bonus," Puck shrugged. "But I wouldn't be dating someone just to take care of a kid. I could be a babysitter or something if I wanted to do that."

Kurt was silent for a little longer before remembering something Santana had told him earlier that day.

"_Puck won't stay with you for long unless you put out. He can't last more than three months without sex. Trust me, I know."_

Softly, Kurt asked, "Are you mad at me because we haven't had sex yet?"

Puck looked up, surprised at the question that had come out of Kurt's mouth. He shook his head, but when Kurt raised an eyebrow, admitted, "Okay, look, it's hard getting used to the whole not having sex all the time, but I can deal with it, okay?"

_By cheating_, Kurt finished in his head. He sighed. It's not that he didn't want to have sex with Puck, it was that he was scared. Kurt had been doing research online lately (because he _knew_ Puck was all about the sex) but all it did was scare him, not prepare him. Several sources had said that it hurts and can get messy and that freaked Kurt out. Almost to the point that he would rather have straight sex because it didn't cause him any pain. The obvious solution, of course, was for Kurt to top, but getting Puck to agree to _that_ would be impossible.

Alex was asleep and Puck rested him in his crib before walking over to Kurt. "Don't worry," he said seriously, looking Kurt in the eyes. "I'm not going to like, run off with Santana or something. I'll wait for you because I know for some people this is a big deal."

Puck had said that as diplomatically as he could, Kurt had to admit. "It's not a big deal for you?" Kurt asked questioningly.

"It kind of is, I guess," Puck shrugged. "I mean, I've had sex lots of times before, but never with a guy. That makes it a big deal, right?"

Kurt gave him a slight smile and nodded. _Maybe things would all work out_, Kurt thought to himself. When Puck pressed a playful kiss to Kurt's lips, he couldn't help but smile back. _Yeah,_ Kurt admitted. _It'll all be fine._


	8. Chapter 8

Kurt and Puck went upstairs and watched TV with Finn for a little bit until Rachel came over. She brought a whole backpack with her so Kurt assumed she had been given permission to sleep over. "Hey," she smiled, walking into the living room.

The guys greeted her and they sat around watching a movie (Finn had insisted upon "She's Out Of My League" and Kurt and Rachel couldn't argue – they'd chosen the movie last time) until Rachel decided to escape and start making dinner. They put together a buffet of breakfast foods (because Kurt was craving waffles – shut up) while the guys watched the rest of the movie.

Naturally when it was time for dinner, Puck flocked to the waffles. Ever since his stint in juvie he had this compulsive need to eat any waffles in his sight. That's why Kurt had only made four that he knew of. The rest were hidden in the kitchen for himself, Finn, and Rachel. They dug into the pancakes, eggs, sausage, bacon, and hash browns until they were stuffed.

After dinner Kurt and Rachel cleaned up (the movie wasn't over yet and the guys were drooling over the lead actress in it). "So, are you excited for your night off?" Rachel asked happily.

Kurt looked confused and asked, "What?"

"Finn and I are babysitting for you tonight," she said earnestly. "You and Noah need to go on a real date. Or at least have some fun."

"He never told me anything," Kurt said curiously.

"Well now you know," she said with a smile. "I brought some stuff for you guys I figured you might want."

Kurt just looked at Rachel, a little scared. "What?" he asked.

"Don't look so surprised," she shook her head. "You guys are just _dying _to have a night to yourselves. You can't keep your hands off of each other! So I snuck a bottle of wine out of my place along with some supplies you might need for tonight."

Kurt's eyes were bulging and his face was flushed. "Finn told me that Puck was home alone this weekend," she shrugged. "You guys can go over there and have the perfect night together. I even picked a few candles, just in case that's your thing."

"Rachel…" Kurt trailed off. "I…"

"Don't worry about it," she waved him off, assuming he was trying to thank her.

He wasn't, though. Kurt was just absolutely flabbergasted. She and Finn had arranged things so Kurt and Puck could have _sex_. They hadn't said it, but they meant it. Did Puck know? Is that why he said those things downstairs? Kurt became a little paranoid when Rachel interrupted his thoughts, "Puck doesn't know about it, either, so you might want to tell him…soon."

She gave him a mischievous glance and winked at him. He shut the dishwasher and walked into the living room just in time to see the credits of the movie. "Here," Rachel whispered to Kurt, handing him her backpack.

"Don't you…?" he trailed off.

"Just give it back to me on Monday," she shrugged. "I'm not staying over, my dads wouldn't let me, understandably so."

Kurt nodded and looked down at the bag, into the living room where Puck and Finn were conversing, then back to Rachel. "Are you sure about this?" he asked.

"Positive," she smiled. "It was Finn's idea, but I'm happy to help."

With a deep breath, Kurt grabbed Puck's jacket off the chair and tossed it to him. He looked up at Kurt, confused. Kurt's back was turned to him as he dug through the closet for a jacket that would match his outfit. "What the hell?" Puck asked.

"Come on, we're going out," Kurt said simply.

Finn and Rachel exchanged proud smiles as Puck sat on the couch, completely confused. Kurt tossed on a simple black jacket and turned around. "Put your jacket on," Kurt said, slightly annoyed. "We're leaving."

Puck looked between Finn and Rachel and instantly got suspicious. "We're babysitting," Rachel shrugged.

"Yeah, you guys need a night alone," Finn nodded seriously.

Still confused, Puck stood and put on his letterman's jacket. Kurt picked up Rachel's backpack and led him outside before he lost his nerve. "Where are we going?" Puck asked, following Kurt out to the truck parked on the curb.

"Your house is empty, right?" Kurt asked.

Puck nodded and got into the driver's seat. "What's going on?" he asked, starting up the truck.

"We get a night to ourselves, it's not a difficult concept," Kurt laughed.

Puck decided it was best not to question things. Instead he just drove. The drive seemed to take forever and Kurt was getting a little clammy. Thank goodness Rachel had packed some alcohol for them. Kurt would need it with how nervous he was.

When they got to Puck's place, he unlocked the door and turned on some lights as he walked in. "Kurt, what's going on?" Puck asked seriously, walking into the kitchen.

"I don't know," Kurt shrugged, following him. "Honestly I don't. But Finn and Rachel gave us this," he held up the backpack, "and offered to babysit Alex tonight so I thought maybe we could get away. Spend some time together without a baby around, you know? Like normal teenagers?"

Puck nodded and reached for the bag. He opened the pocket and started pulling things out, setting them on the table. "Wine and candles? What the hell does she think is going to…" he trailed off, but stopped when he pulled out a full box of condoms. "Does she think we're girls?"

Kurt laughed and said, "It's the thought that counts, right?"

Puck pulled out the bottle of lube from the bottom of the backpack and looked at everything. He didn't say a word as Kurt dug around the cabinets and found two glasses. "Well, alcohol is alcohol and I think it will help," Kurt said nervously.

"We don't have to have sex just because they gave us the stuff for it," Puck said, seeing that Kurt was nervous.

Kurt just opened the bottle of wine and poured them each a glass before walking back over to Puck. He handed one to him and took a drink from his own. Puck looked at Kurt with a wary expression before taking a sip. "I have one rule," Puck said firmly. "We're not doing anything if you're drunk, no matter how much you want it."

Confused, Kurt asked, "Why?"

Puck shrugged and took another drink. He avoided Kurt's eyes when he said, "Because you've never done this with a guy before." He plastered a smirk on his face and added, "And because I'd want you to remember that it was me you did it with."

Kurt laughed at Puck and said, "Okay, just the one glass. We'll go up to your room and just…see what happens."

Puck grabbed the condoms and lube with one hand and began walking upstairs. Obviously he wasn't a fan of the candle idea. Neither was Kurt, to be totally honest.

Puck was up in his room, already sitting on his bed leaning against the headboard when Kurt walked in. Shutting the door behind him, Kurt walked over and sat down next to Puck. A strong arm instantly wrapped around his shoulder and they both took a drink of wine. Kurt set his glass down on the bedside table next to Puck (leaning over him closer than he needed to) before resting his head on Puck's shoulder.

Truth be told, Kurt almost felt too tired to do anything. He hadn't gotten a full night's sleep since Alex was born and was always up insanely early on top of that. Puck set his glass down too and rested his head upon Kurt's. Neither spoke. Kurt's hand lazily ran up and down Puck's chest, his muscles taut and strong underneath the plaid shirt he wore tucked into his blue jeans. Puck was never one for cuddling, but Kurt was different. All the girls he'd been with had people they could snuggle with whenever they wanted – boys and girls. Kurt had nobody – he _deserved_ the rarity that was a snuggly Puck.

Kurt looked up at Puck with a crooked smile. He kissed Puck lightly before pulling away again. Their breaths smelled of wine and a faint hint of syrup, but it wasn't bad. Breath ghosted across Kurt's lips and he closed his eyes as a chill ran down his spine.

Puck kissed him again, harder, but not rough. Kurt's hand tugged at Puck's torso, pulling him closer. Kurt's shifted against Puck's an unheard rhythm. When Puck's tongue touched Kurt's lips, he allowed him entrance. The kiss was sweet and heated, just enough wine in their systems to lower their inhibitions. Kurt enjoyed it but he needed _more_.

Puck reconnected their lips over and over again; they could barely breathe. Desperate hands clung to his plaid shirt and Kurt was on his lap, straddling him, grinding their bodies together as they kissed. Strong hands held Kurt's backside as their bodies ground together. Kurt's stomach fluttered when he heard Puck mutter, "Fuck, Kurt."

He smirked into the kiss and unbuttoned his shirt, running his hands along the bare skin he found there. Puck shed his shirt immediately, quickly becoming distracted by Kurt's sudden move of bravery as he kissed down his chest. Soft lips trailed kisses down tanned skin, paying a little attention to the scarred nipple where a piece of jewelry once was. Puck moaned deeply and Kurt couldn't help but grind himself against Puck again before reconnecting their lips.

Puck thanked god that Kurt had chosen a simple sweater to wear that day instead of some ridiculous layering of clothing he usually settled for. It was off of Kurt in a single move and _finally_ they had more contact between their bodies.

Kurt's arms wrapped around Puck's neck, their kiss deepening and their chests pressed together. Kurt panicked a little when he felt fingers unbuttoning his jeans, though. He sat back and climbed off of Puck nervously. "Sorry, sorry, sorry…" Puck mumbled over and over, looking guilty.

"No, it's not that I don't want to," Kurt said quickly, trying to fix the situation. "I just…" he sighed.

Puck wrapped an arm around his shoulder and asked, "You what?"

Kurt's face was flush with embarrassment and he avoided Puck's eyes. "I don't…I'm not sure that I want to…well…" he trailed off.

"I told you I was cool with not having sex yet," Puck pointed out simply.

"No, it's not that," Kurt shook his head. "I want to…I'm just…"

Puck waited in silence as Kurt struggled to find the right words to say. "I'm kind of freaked out about the idea of bottoming," he admitted softly.

Neither spoke for a moment as Puck thought about it. That was it? He'd never really considered bottoming, but it couldn't be that bad, right? Puck sighed and nodded, "Okay."

Kurt looked disappointed. He was reaching around for his sweater, disappointment etched on his features. "Hey, what do you think you're doing?" Puck asked, cocking his eyebrow.

"It's not like you're going to bottom," Kurt sighed.

Grabbing him by the belt loops on his jeans, Puck pulled Kurt onto his lap again. Kurt was straddling Puck but avoiding his eyes. "I'd try it," he shrugged. "I mean, come on. I'm a total badass. I can handle it."

Kurt laughed a little. Puck kissed him and said, "We don't need to, but I'll try it out if you don't want to bottom."

Lips were connected again as Kurt was overwhelmed with the way Puck was treating him. If you would have told him two years ago he'd be grinding up against Noah Puckerman (and preparing to do more), Kurt would have laughed in your face.

Puck rolled them over and ground down against Kurt, their erections rubbing together through the fabric of their pants. Slender fingers unfastened Puck's pants and he kicked them off in a frenzy. Kurt almost laughed when he realized Puck had been going commando under his jeans; it was something so completely and utterly _him_. Puck's hands found Kurt's jeans for the second time that evening but this time Kurt didn't fight it. In seconds they were naked, grinding against each other, the heat and intensity more than anything Kurt could have imagined.

Puck reached over to the bedside table and grabbed the bottle of lube, holding it out to Kurt. "Are you sure?" he asked one more time.

"Kurt, seriously, if you ask me that one more time, you're not getting any," Puck said seriously.

Like Puck would ever deny anyone sex. Kurt knew him better than that and laughed a little. Rolling over, Puck rested upon his bed on his back, watching as Kurt slowly poured some lube along his fingers, slicking them up. He leant down to kiss Puck, running his fingers along his boyfriends opening. The sensation was strange for Puck; it was definitely not what he was expecting. Kurt's fingers teased the opening but never pressed in. "More," Puck moaned into Kurt's mouth.

Kurt pressed one finger inside slowly, letting Puck get used to the feeling. He didn't mind it much, but it was strange. When combined with Kurt stroking his dick, Puck found that he rather enjoyed it. He hissed when Kurt pressed in a second finger without announcement. "Sorry," Kurt whispered, kissing Puck sweetly.

It didn't hurt _that_ bad, he could get used to it. He was soon panting with each thrust of Kurt's fingers. "Ready for another?" Kurt whispered in Puck's ear sensually.

All he could do was groan in response as his dick twitched at how sultry and _amazing_ Kurt's voice was. He gasped when a third finger pressed inside, but Kurt distracted him with gentle strokes and kisses down his neck. Puck's hands ran along Kurt's arms and body, trying to repay the smaller boy for everything he was doing. When Kurt's finger touched Puck's prostate (he only knew what it was called because of Finn's stupid lie) he gasped and felt Kurt smile into their kiss. Kurt touched that spot a few more times, proud of how it had reduced Puck to such an incoherent mess. "Kurt…" Puck managed a moan.

He slid his fingers out slowly before reaching for the condoms. Puck's hand stopped him though and took one off the table for him. Puck smirked and watched as Kurt looked at him with confusion. Opening the wrapper, Puck pulled out the condom and slid it onto Kurt (who was bigger than Puck thought – which kind of scared him), keeping their eyes connected the whole time. Kurt grabbed for the bottle of lube (he wanted to make this as comfortable as possible for him) but Puck snatched that away from him, too. He poured some on his hand and stroked Kurt. Beautiful blue eyes were covered with fluttering eyelids as he savored the sensations. When the motions stopped, Kurt knew what was next.

He aligned himself with Puck's hole and pushed in slowly. Kurt watched as the boy beneath him closed his eyes and tried to ride out the pain. It hurt, but it would get better. It _had_ to get better. But even if it didn't, Puck could pretend. He was a badass and wanted it to be special for Kurt. But _oh my god_ would it be difficult. Kurt was all the way in and Puck felt so _full_.

Then Kurt moved. Out a little bit, then back in. "You okay?" he whispered, his voice shaking.

Puck nodded. He could do this. Kurt moved again; out a little more before sliding back in. That time it was less painful and more pleasurable. It wasn't too bad. Kurt went slowly until Puck sighed at the sensations and muttered, "More…"

Kurt acquiesced, picking up the pace with each thrust. Puck held his breath as Kurt hit that spot inside of him over and over again; it was almost too much. Puck didn't think that was right; neither of them was even touching his dick. Kurt connected his lips to Puck's as he continued thrusting. "Mmm, Noah…" Kurt whispered. "So close…"

Puck just nodded, groaning, words failing him completely. Kurt broke the rhythm of his thrusts as he let out a moan and reached his peak. A few more thrusts from Kurt as he rode out his orgasm sent Puck over the edge. "Kurt…" he sighed.

They lay there for a moment, Kurt on top of Puck, a sticky mess between them. Puck wasn't quite sure what to think. Kurt pulled out of him slowly and sat up, removing the condom and throwing it away. Part of him didn't think he should have enjoyed getting fucked as much as he had. Another completely different part of him pointed out that he hadn't really been _fucked_. That was something else entirely. Something with emotions…something Puck had never done before. Kurt's skin was flushed pink and he was breathing heavily. "What do you say we take a shower before we go to sleep?" Puck asked mischievously.

Kurt looked at Puck, exhausted. "I barely had enough energy to do that once!" he said, laughing a little.

"Fine," Puck rolled his eyes playfully. "We'll take a plain old boring shower and then go to sleep."

Guilt crossed Kurt's features before he spoke, "I'm sorry. I just get so tired sometimes, you know? Alex keeps me up a lot."

"It's whatever, Kurt," Puck shrugged, standing up.

He winced, his backside causing him more pain than he expected. Kurt followed him into the bathroom where they took their time washing each other off before they crawled into bed, both in nothing but their boxers. Kurt was asleep almost instantly, and Puck was more than happy to join him.

Puck woke around two in the morning. He couldn't quite figure out why. Looking around the room, he woke up, trying to string together coherent thoughts. When he realized his mother would be home early in the morning, he sighed. Puck crawled out of bed and started cleaning things up; he hid the condom in the garbage can and took their half-finished wine glasses downstairs. He poured out the wine from the cups and put the bottle back in the backpack along with the candles. He'd keep the other things in case they ever did that again because _damn_ if it wasn't the best sex Puck had ever had (and that was saying something).

Back up in his room, Puck pulled on his clothes before shaking Kurt slightly. "'s wrong?" Kurt asked sleepily.

"We need to go back to your place," Puck whispered. "My mom is done with the night shift at like five and I don't want us getting in trouble."

Kurt groaned and rolled over, but Puck was persistent. He tickled Kurt and kissed at his neck until the boy was a mess of giggles on the bed. Puck looked triumphant. "How am I supposed to get a good night's sleep on my night off if you wake me up?" Kurt asked.

"Welcome to fatherhood," Puck smirked.

Kurt glared at him but it didn't last long. Puck handed Kurt his clothes and he dressed. They went downstairs and left, all evidence of them being there erased. When they got back to Kurt's house, they entered silently, not wanting to wake Finn who was caring for Alex on his own. Everything was still and they assumed that Alex was downstairs sleeping and that Finn was passed out in his room.

They made their way downstairs slowly and Kurt couldn't help but grin at the sight in front of him. There was Finn, passed out, but not in his bed…instead he was in the rocking chair, Alex in his arms. It was probably one of the cutest (and most surprising) things that Kurt had seen in a while. Nothing beats Puck holding Alex, but still. "He makes a good uncle," Puck admitted.

Kurt elbowed him immediately for not whispering. Alex squirmed in Finn's arms but didn't make a sound. Finn was startled awake by the movement though. He looked around, his eyes still drooping with sleep. Realizing that Alex was asleep, he stood and put the baby in his crib. Still half-asleep, Finn just gave them a lopsided smile before walking upstairs.

"If he wakes up in the middle of the night, I'll take care of him," Puck whispered to Kurt. "You just get some sleep."

Kurt flashed him a grateful smile and flopped down his bed, falling asleep without even changing into pajamas. Puck pulled out the sofa bed and looked around for a moment. He felt chilled and looked into the crib. If he was cold then Alex had to be. Spotting the quilt Carole made for Alex, Puck grabbed it and covered the little boy. Then as an added touch, he moved the plush duck from the corner of the crib to just within the baby's reach. Satisfied, Puck crawled into the sofa bed and fell asleep.


	9. Chapter 9

By December Alex was sleeping through the night and Kurt was much more well-rested for school and glee club. It bummed Puck out a little that he had no excuses for staying overnight anymore, besides the fact that Kurt was his boyfriend. In early December, Burt and Carole brought Alex along to sectionals where Kurt and Puck were competing with the rest of New Directions.

Puck rocked his solo, at least according to Alex. The little boy wouldn't stop cooing and waving at Puck as he danced and sang. After their performance and the awards ceremony (New Directions had beat the Warblers for first place – but barely!) they all met up in the lobby where Kurt pulled Alex into his arms, laughing and saying, "People could barely hear Puck over you!"

"I'm just that much of a stud," Puck puffed out his chest proudly. "I'm such a good singer even _babies_ can't resist."

Kurt rolled his eyes. Someone tapped Kurt on the shoulder and he turned around curiously. "Hey," Blaine said nervously.

"Hi," Kurt replied, surprised.

"Hello, Noah," Blaine nodded politely.

Puck nodded in response. Blaine looked between them and then at Alex awkwardly. "This must be him, huh?" Blaine smiled at the boy.

Alex smiled back and Kurt said, "Yeah, this is Alex."

"He looks so much like you," Blaine admitted, patting Alex's ever-growing brown hair.

The whole interaction was awkward, but the intentions behind it made Kurt happy. All Blaine was trying to do was show that there was no hostility or anger between them. He understood and wanted to support Kurt. "It was nice seeing you, and him," Blaine told Kurt softly.

"You too, Blaine," Kurt said earnestly.

"Ahhh," Alex said, his big blue eyes focused on Blaine.

Both Blaine and Kurt laughed before Blaine said goodbye and walked away. "Well, what do you say we go home?" Burt suggested.

He went and found Finn while Puck gave both Alex and Kurt kisses goodbye (in private of course) before finding his own mother to go home with her.

Kurt fell into a good rhythm taking care of Alex; he was getting much easier to take care of now that he could hold his own bottle and he slept through the night. It was easy for him to convince Finn to babysit every now and again so he and Puck could go to a movie or something, but then in February, just in time for Valentine's Day, Alex started teething. He was a squirming, fussy mess _all the time_ and Finn never went near Alex when he was like that.

Puck and Kurt were texting one night when Puck asked what they'd be doing for Valentine's Day (he hated the holiday but Kurt liked it so he'd deal). Sighing, Kurt replied.

_From: Kurt  
>Babysitting Alex, probably. Nobody will watch him now that he's teething. He cries all the time.<em>

Puck sighed. It was more of a relief than anything, but at the same time he could tell how upset Kurt was about it. Kurt rolled his eyes at Puck's determination when he read the reply.

_From: Noah  
>dont worry. i got a plan ;)<em>

On Valentine's Day, Puck paid Finn to watch Alex so Kurt could get out of the house. He showed up about half an hour before Kurt was supposed to be home, just like he'd told Finn. In the living room, Finn played with Alex, who was less whiny that day than he'd been in the past. Puck set the table and pulled Alex's bouncy chair up to one side. "Dude you know I have a date with Rachel soon, right?" Finn called from the living room. "I gotta go."

"Yeah, yeah, go get laid," Puck rolled his eyes, walking into the living room to pick up Alex.

Finn stood and gathered his things, grumbling something about how that will never happen now because of Alex. With a baby in one arm, Puck went back to work in the kitchen, sticking boxes of food into the microwave and heating them up. "See you, dude," Finn called before walking out the door.

Puck was home alone with Alex in the Hummel-Hudson household. If he hadn't been around so often the past five months, he would have felt awkward. As boxes of food were heated up, Puck set them on the table, the last one being set down right before Kurt walked through the door. "Smells good in here," Kurt called, hanging his jacket in the closet. "But I thought you had a date with Rachel?"

Kurt hadn't seen Puck's truck (it was around the corner _on purpose_) so he thought Finn was home. Walking into the dining room Kurt found Puck setting Alex in his bouncy chair next to the table. "What's going on?" he asked, surprised.

"We couldn't go out so we're staying in," Puck said simply. "Got a problem with that?"

Kurt just shook his head before sitting down, Alex's chair on the floor on one side of him and Puck sitting at the table on the other. "I heard you liked wing so I went and got some before I came over," Puck said, digging into one of the boxes on the table.

"Boneless?" Kurt raised an eyebrow.

"Of course," Puck nodded. "They're the best."

Kurt secretly thanked Mercedes for spilling his secret to Puck. Alex chewed on his teething ring as Puck and Kurt dug into their wings. It amazed Puck how many wings Kurt could manage to eat in a minute. It was like he was _inhaling_ them. Damn, Aretha wasn't kidding when she said he _loved_ wings.

After dinner they sat around the basement, a movie playing in the background (27 Dresses maybe? Puck wasn't paying much attention). They sat on the floor as Alex played between them. A squeal from between them caused them both to look over quickly. They had set Alex down on his stomach, but there he was, lying on his back. "He rolled over!" Kurt said happily.

Puck leaned over to smile down at the boy, laughing, "You're gonna be a troublemaker now, aren't you?"

Alex smiled up at Puck and said "Ahhh!"

Kurt laughed and watched as Puck rolled Alex back onto his stomach just so they could see it again. Alex must have rolled over at least ten times before he started getting fussy and Kurt put him to bed.

They watched the rest of the movie on low volume (it wasn't _that_ bad, Puck had to admit – even if that girl's dresses were _hideous_) before they pulled out the sofa bed and curled up in it, the DVD player rolling the credits and main menu so there was some sort of noise in the room. Puck and Kurt made out for hours that night, hands wandering and touching. Even if they didn't have sex, it was satisfying, and it was all Kurt was really comfortable doing with Alex in the same room. Still dressed, they fell asleep in each other's arms.

When Finn got home he heard noise coming from downstairs. Puck and Kurt must have still been up. He decided to stop downstairs and see how their night went, but all he found were three sleeping boys and a DVD still playing. Finn shut off the TV and DVD player before going upstairs and falling asleep as well.

Things got busier after that. New Directions was preparing for Regionals where they'd be facing off against Vocal Adrenaline _again_. Mr. Schuester was stressing the importance of this because Principal Figgins wasn't going to give them another year unless they got first place, and Sue Sylvester had a "third time's a charm" attitude so this was the last year for them to prove they could win – Sue wouldn't stick up for them anymore.

The choreography was intense and Kurt was always exhausted. Puck couldn't help out much because had to do homework (yeah, he didn't like it either). If he didn't, he couldn't graduate in May. As much as he hated school, he had to _try_ just so he could get out of there. He hated that system.

The weekend before sectionals Puck got a text with a photo and his heart leapt (even though he'd never admit to feeling that). It was Alex up on his hands, smiling at the camera, and below it said: _He's crawling!_

Puck rushed downstairs, running past his mom and to the door. "Honey, where are you going?"

"Kurt's," he said quickly. "Alex is crawling!"

Mrs. Puckerman walked to the foyer where Puck was standing impatiently. "Honey, it's a school night. You can see Alex this weekend."

"But mom he's _crawling_!" Puck repeated. "I need to see it _now_."

"Alex isn't your son, Noah," she said firmly.

Okay, now Puck was starting to get angry. "Yeah, but he's my boyfriend's son and this is important!" he argued.

"Honey, you'll have kids of your own one day. You can see this then," she reassured him. "But right now you have to go upstairs, finish your homework, and go to bed."

"Mom, this is garbage! I need to see him!" Puck complained.

"Noah," she said, warning him with her eyes.

He kicked at the wall before going upstairs, rage coursing through him. He pulled out his phone and tried not to sound upset when he texted Kurt back. Kurt was a little disappointed when he read it.

_From: Noah  
>sweet! i cant wait 2 c him crawl this weekend<em>

Sadly, Kurt texted him back. Puck's stomach dropped when he read it.

_From: Kurt  
>You don't want to come see him now?<em>

Puck sighed. Of course Kurt would ask that. It was hard enough to hear his mother say no, but to have to tell Kurt he couldn't? It sucked.

_From: Noah  
>i want 2 so bad but mom wont let me leave on a school night. its bs<em>

Kurt nodded. Of course it was his mother. She had been much harder on him lately. Between his grades and the fact that he was probably at Kurt's house more than his own, he could understand. Plus, she was a little angry with the fact that he was being so fatherly with someone else's kid. Although he had to admit, it was a little frustrating that she didn't trust Kurt to make his own decisions about his son.

When Puck finally got to see Alex crawling, it was worth it. He was grinning and almost as excited as Kurt had been. "He's been getting into everything," Kurt said. "He ruined one of my scarves the other day."

Puck just raised an eyebrow and asked, "Don't you have like a hundred?"

"I have twenty-four now thanks to Alex," Kurt said defensively.

Puck jostled Kurt playfully as they watched Alex crawl around the room until he found what he was looking for. Puck swelled with pride as he watched Alex stop crawling, sit up, and grab the little plush duck on the floor next to him to play with.

New Directions placed second to Vocal Adrenaline at sectionals, but they didn't feel bad. After not placing two years in a row, it was a nice change. Nobody knew what was in store for the glee club now, but nobody really cared. Graduation was around the corner for several members of New Directions and they were all worrying about college and the future. Something Kurt was still nervous to talk about. He knew Puck wasn't the college type but Kurt still wanted to get an education.

Once upon a time Kurt had planned to get out of Lima and make a name for himself, but now everything had changed. Unbeknownst to his family, he had applied to Ohio State in Lima, so he could still stay in town. They didn't have many majors and had no campus housing, but it was fine; Kurt lived in Lima and they had the major he wanted. He was accepted, of course (his grades were still spectacular) and now all he had left was to register. He wasn't concerned about himself, though. Kurt was worried about Puck.

They were walking through the halls before Glee club and Kurt asked, "Do you know what you're doing after high school?"

Puck looked surprised by the question. "Hadn't thought about it," he replied. "You?"

"I got accepted at the U in town," Kurt shrugged.

"Sweet," Puck nodded as they walked into the choir room.

"Well, are you planning on going to college?" Kurt asked.

Puck just shrugged and sat down in the back row. Kurt was next to him and kept looking at him funny. "No? I don't know, maybe?" Puck admitted. "I haven't applied. Plus, you know I hate school."

"There's still time," Kurt said simply.

"I'm shit at everything," Puck shook his head dejectedly.

Kurt raised an eyebrow. "Okay, my SAT was a fluke," Puck said, referring to his crazy high SAT score (he only took the dumb test so his mom would shut up).

"I think you're smarter than you think but that you're just lazy," Kurt accused.

Puck glared at him and they didn't say a word throughout the rest of the glee club. Mr. Schuester announced the disbanding of the club but admitted that it might be for the best; over half of the club was graduating. Everyone went around and said where they were going in the fall and what they wanted to do there. Finn and Santana were off to Columbus to study at the U there, Mike had gotten a dance scholarship to a school in Texas, Kurt was going to the U in Lima for English, and most surprisingly, Rachel and Quinn were not only going to the same school (UCLA) but were signed up to be _roommates_. Mercedes was going to an arts school in Chicago and Artie had been accepted to MIT. Brittany had been held back and the rest were preparing for their senior year.

Puck felt a little stupid admitting that he wasn't going anywhere and had no idea what he was doing. It made it worse when Santana replied to this with a roll of the eyes and by saying, "Of course."

After school Kurt strode out to his Navigator, still frustrated with Puck for having no motivation. He sighed in frustration and ran his hand through his mohawk as Kurt drove away.


	10. Chapter 10

Two hundred students sat in neatly-lined chairs on the football field, their families in the bleachers, everyone smiling in the bright Saturday sunlight. The students wore red gowns and caps, tassels hanging off of them and waving in the light breeze. In the stands sat crying moms, proud dads, bored siblings, and an overly happy, squealing baby boy. Mercedes had not been joking when she said that Kurt and Rachel would have really cute and loud babies.

Principal Figgins gave a speech about being successful and having bright futures and returning to Lima to share their knowledge (hah, like that would happen) before it was time for the Valedictorian's speech. Quinn Fabray stepped to the podium, speech in her shaking hands.

She absolutely glowed in the sunlight, her blonde hair and blue eyes shone in the May air. Looking out at the crowd, she took a deep breath and began speaking.

"For some of us, these past four years have been the longest years of our lives," she began, looking out at the crowd where her mother beamed proudly from the front row. "Some of us were bullied," she glanced at Kurt, "Some of us met the love of our life," she glanced at Sam, "Some of us thought there was no hope of finding love," she glanced at Mercedes, "And some of us held strong and tried to teach others the most important lesson anyone could ever learn," she looked at Rachel. "Being a part of something special makes you special," Quinn said firmly.

She scanned the crowd and her eyes caught on some football players sniggering. Taking another deep breath, she continued bravely, "We didn't all get along with each other, and that was fine. That's the way high school works. But in our groups, whether it was the football team, hockey team, the Cheerios, or glee club, we found people like us; people we could relate to. Those people we hung out with, the ones that knew _exactly_ how we were feeling at some point or another, they're the ones that taught us the most. Sure, we all know when the Declaration of Independence was signed and how to conjugate verbs in Spanish, but that's not all that matters. Our friends taught us how to make it through hardships," she glanced at Finn, "They taught us to appreciate every little thing we're given in life," she looked over at Puck, "And most importantly, they taught us that appearances _don't_ matter," she looked pointedly at Ms. Sylvester, who looked uncomfortable. "When we stay true to ourselves and stop worrying about what others think, only then are we truly successful," she looked at Mr. Schuester, who was smiling proudly, his eyes brimming with tears.

"We may not know what the future holds, but I can say this for each and every one of us: we're ready for it. So, congratulations, class of 2013 – we finally made it out of here!" she said, her beautiful smile beaming out at the audience.

The crowd applauded as she stepped back down to her seat. Principal Figgins stepped forward to begin reading off names while Ms. Sylvester and Mr. Schuester handed out diplomas to the students. Maybe it was just a coincidence, but Alex squealed particularly loud when Kurt's name was called. Even more coincidentally was the fact that the only other time he squealed that loud was when Puck's name was called.

All the students were grinning from ear to ear by the time the ceremony ended. Hats were tossed into the air and soon the families were walking out onto the field in search of their son or daughter. The field turned to chaos and several people made their way out of the mess in search of their families. On the outskirts of the crowd Finn, Puck, and Kurt stood, waiting. Puck's mother was first to arrive and she pulled him into the biggest hug he'd ever gotten from her. "I'm so proud of you, honey," she said, her eyes full of tears.

"Thanks, mom," he said, embarrassed.

"Yeah, I thought you were too stupid to graduate," his sister said, her arms crossed as she watched her mother _finally_ let go of Puck. Kurt was laughing at his side until he felt tiny hands grabbing for his shoulder. He turned around and scooped Alex out of Burt's arms. "Little guy wouldn't shut up," Burt laughed.

"I know," Kurt said, busying himself with tickling Alex. "He takes after his mother in that respect."

When the little boy giggled and grabbed for Kurt's hair, his eyes bulged. "No, no, no," Kurt said, swatting Alex's hand away gently. "That ridiculous graduation cap ruined my hair enough, I don't need you making it any worse."

Puck laughed and asked, "Want me to hold him while you fix your hair?"

"Yes, please," Kurt said.

He held his hands out to Alex who reached out for Puck with his tiny hands. Puck lifted him away and held Alex on his hip, holding his hand up to get a high five from the boy. Mrs. Puckerman watched in amazement as Alex felt so at home in her son's arms. Kurt found his pocket mirror and readjusted his hair just in time to be ambushed by Carole and her camera. "Come here, it's time for pictures!" she called.

She greeted Mrs. Puckerman and offered to send her copies of the pictures. They switched up combinations of people as Burt held Alex off to the side.

First up were Finn and Puck, who had been best friends for as long as they each could remember. They had been through many hard times, but that hadn't changed a thing. They'd still sit around and play Halo for hours (but now they wouldn't start until after Alex was asleep, unlike in the past). They stood next to each other, laughing, their arms around each other's shoulders.

Puck was traded out for Kurt, for the next photos. Finn and Kurt, the now inseparable step-brothers, looked like a surprising pair to someone that didn't know them. Finn was tall and burly, his muscles and height setting him far apart from Kurt, who was shorter and much more slender. They stood next to each other, closer than Finn would have ever allowed two years ago, and smiled, Finn's arm around Kurt's shoulders.

Kurt moved out of the way so Carole could take a picture of Finn and Rachel. It had been painful for Finn given everything he had been through with her, but they had decided it was better that they broke up. It was a mutual decision, however difficult it was for the two of them. Both seriously doubted that they could completely trust each other once they started college; the distance between California and Ohio was more than either could really handle. Smiling next to each other, Finn's arm around her, they let Carole take a picture.

Kurt reached out to grab Alex from Burt. Much to Kurt's dismay, Alex's tiny hands went right to his hair. Again. It took a few minutes, but they managed to get a good picture of the father and son, both turning and smiling at the camera. "Get in there, Puck," Carole waved him over into the picture.

Puck looked surprised but did as he was told. He stood to the side of Kurt, Alex perched between them on Kurt's hip. Carole snapped a picture and looked unbelievably proud of all of them. Puck walked over to his mother for a moment as Rachel approached Kurt. "I um…I wanted to give you this," Rachel said, holding out a piece of paper to him. "It's my address. I was hoping you'd mail me some pictures of Alex every once in a while?"

"Of course I can," Kurt smiled, taking the paper and sliding it into his pocket.

She looked at Alex, a sad look in her eye. "He's adorable," she said, her fingers reaching out to touch his hand. "You're raising him really well."

"Thanks," Kurt said, his expression serious.

They stood in silence for a moment, Rachel just looking at Alex, who watched her with a strange look, his head rested on his father's shoulder. Kurt watched them for a moment in silence and only moved when she glanced over Kurt's shoulder and nodded. He spun around to see Puck approaching. "This came in the mail for me today," he said, holding it out to Kurt.

They traded; Kurt took the envelope while Puck took Alex. Kurt opened the letter sized envelope and pulled out several papers. The top one had the University of Ohio Lima letterhead and Kurt read it over slowly, his heart beating a million miles a minute. Puck had been accepted into the business program. He looked up at Puck, surprised. "I thought you didn't know what you wanted to do?" he asked curiously.

"I can do anything with a business degree," Puck smirked.

Confused by Kurt's silence, he raised an eyebrow and asked, "I thought this was what you wanted?"

"Is this what _you_ want?" Kurt asked.

Puck looked at Alex, then back to Kurt, "Well, I'll have a family one day and I can make good money for them if I go to college. I suffered like, thirteen years of school, four more years can't suck _that_ much. Plus, they have a basketball team so I can still play sports."

Of course he looked at sports teams. As much as Kurt wanted to be frustrated, he just couldn't. It was still a little shocking to him that Puck had so much motivation all of a sudden. "Congratulations, Noah," Kurt smiled, hugging him.

Puck smirked; he was obviously proud of himself and Kurt had only boosted his ego. Kurt couldn't help but laugh at this, and inside he was swelling with pride. When they first met, Kurt would have never pegged Puck for someone that would not only graduate high school but actually go on to college. Whatever had changed in Puck's brain, it was the best change in the world. Sure, he was still the sex-craving, flirtatious, slightly-smelly jock Kurt had met two years ago, but there was more to him (now).

Their families gathered and all decided to go out for dinner. The trip was only to Breadstix, but it was okay. Kurt realized as they were sitting around a big table, all eating and laughing, that the last time he was there had been when Rachel told him about Alex. Wow, how his life had changed since then.

He, Kurt Hummel, had survived _years_ of taunting, threats, and bullying. He raised a child during his senior year. He graduated high school in the top ten percent of his class. He had a boyfriend. Things were _finally_ going the way he always planned, even if a few events threw a wrench into his "plan."

Kurt was content with his life and was rested ahead. If the giggling from his right where Alex was making a mess of a breadstick wasn't a good enough indication, the big grin from Noah Puckerman at his other side definitely was. Finally, life was good, and it was only going to get better.


End file.
